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ST. PATRrCKS CATHEDR.AL 
N e:w Y 0F£ K , [858. 






History of 
St. Patrick's Cathedral 



v4> 

By ^ ^ 

MOST REV. JOHN M>>FARLEY, D.D, 

Archbishop of New York 



^ 



''^ And call to remembrance the works 
of the fathers which they have done in 
their generations ^ — / Mach.yii.^i. 



Society for the Propagation of the Faith 

Archdiocese of New Tork 
462 Madison Avenue, New York City 



> 






Copyright, 1908, hy the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, 
New York City. 



f^cctived from 
Copyright Office. 



LloRARY of 


jNGRESS 


Two COOifb 

JUN 4 




Copyri^nt 


Litry 


CLASS 


A,XC. No. 


CGHY 


- 



PREFACE. 

Old St. Peter's, the old and the new Cathedrals, are 
the great landmarks of our local Catholic history. Old 
St. Peter's was the scene of the Church's struggle for 
existence. In old St. Patrick's the problem of her 
co-existence with the new Republic was successfully 
adjusted. The new Cathedral commemorates her 
triumph and marvelous growth. 

In 1785 there were in this city but two hundred 
Catholics under one priest. They were Irish and 
French, German and Italian, Spanish and Scotch, Eng- 
lish and Portuguese, few in number, poor in resources, 
divided by racial differences, but united by love of their 
adopted country, of its political ideals, above all, by 
love of their Church. At their express wish, the first 
Catholic temple in this city was dedicated to the Prince 
of the Apostles. They established the church of New 
York on the "Rock," and nowhere are the foundations 
of Catholicity more solidly laid than in this Metropoli- 
tan See. They also have the honor of opening the first 
free school in the State six years before any public 
school was started. 

In 1808, this See was erected, and comprised the en- 
tire State of New York and the eastern part of New 
Jersey. There were 13,000 Catholics in the city, 16,000 
in the whole Diocese, with one church, one parochial 
school, and three priests. Bishop Connolly arrived in 
1815, and for some time had but one priest to minister 
in his vast Diocese. At his death, 1825, there were 18 
priests, 8 churches, and 150,000 Catholics. Bishop Du- 



vi PREFACE 

bois added 18 priests and 8 churches. The Diocese had 
124 priests when the Sees of Albany and Buffalo were 
created in 1847, and 113 priests when Brooklyn and 
Newark were erected in 1853. The Catholic popula- 
tion, in 1854, numbered 250,000. 

Meanwhile, in the old Cathedral, the difficult problem 
of the Church's co-existence with the adverse elements 
of the New World was being solved, but not without 
many a hard blow ''scalpri frequentis ictibus et tunsione 
plurima/' Within the fold, trusteeism threatened to 
undermine discipline in matters spiritual and temporal ; 
without, persistent bigotry assailed everything Catholic, 
and engendered the Native American and Knownothing 
movements. In the pulpit of old St. Patrick's worthy 
defenders of the faith met every attack, and prejudice 
was compelled to retreat under the logic and eloquence 
of Levins and Taylor, of Pise, Power, and the gifted 
Father Burke, of Archbishop Hughes and Cardinal 
McCloskey. 

Trusteeism succumbed to the young Bishop Hughes, 
who knew that the hearts of the people were right, 
if their heads went astray for a while. The fearless 
prelate, having formed his flock into a compact body, 
challenged and routed the Native American and Know- 
nothing disturbers, and convinced the nation that alle- 
giance to the Republic was eminently consistent with 
loyalty to the Church. 

The new Cathedral commemorates the victory of the 
Church in New York and her wonderful development. 
Rochester was made a separate See in 1868, Ogdens- 
burg in 1872, Trenton in 1881, and Syracuse in 1886. 
Within the original limits of this See, there are to-day an 
Archbishop, eight suffragan and two auxiliary Bishops, 



PREFACE vii 

1,546 churches, 2,710 priests, 583 parochial schools 
with 251,383 pupils and a Catholic population of 
3,162,309, well provided with institutions of charity 
and of higher education. 

This material progress is the manifestation of that 
spiritual growth which springs from the presence of 
Christ and of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Immigra- 
tion, and conversions, of which there are 5,000 yearly, 
have been important factors in our rapid increase. In 
the pioneer days, our forefathers sought aid from 
France and Spain, from Cuba, Mexico, and Ireland. 
To-day this Diocese alone contributes to the foreign 
missions $70,000 yearly. In the political, social, com- 
mercial, and intellectual life of the community, the 
Church labors strenuously for justice and charity, for 
honesty in business and public office, for the sanctity of 
the family, for lofty moral standards in literature and 
art, for law and order. The Cathedral for half a cen- 
tury has been an object lesson of the highest art for all 
our fellow-citizens. 

Others have labored and we have entered into their 
labors. It seems proper that we should "call to re- 
membrance the works of the fathers which they have 
done in their generations." They have left us a goodly 
inheritance. It is our duty to transmit that inheritance 
intact under the guidance of Peter and the patronage 
of St. Patrick to posterity. 

"Funes ceciderunt mihi in praeclaris: etenim here- 
ditas mea praeclara est mihi." 



The Feast of St. Patrick, 
March 17, 1908. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In a country where we are constantly reminded by 
the leaders of education to accept nothing but what 
we can establish by personal research, where the minds 
of public men are generally so fair and open, it is 
amazing to read, in a recent work on Old New York, 
this absurd statement: 

At Fiftieth Street and Fifth Avenue is St. Patrick's 
Cathedral, the corner-stone of which was laid in 1858. 
The entire block on which it stands was, the preced- 
ing year, given to the Roman Catholics for a nominal 
sum — one dollar — by the city.* 

The vitality of this long-lived lie is all the more 
astonishing when we consider that it has been repeat- 
edly disproved by Protestant, as well as by Catholic 
writers. In the Nezv York Journal of Commerce, 
June, 1882, Colonel William L. Stone, a non-Catholic, 
printed an exhaustive article on the title of the Cathe- 
dral property if 

We have several times replied to questions con- 
cerning the acquisition of the land upon which stands 
the Roman Catholic Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. It 
has been a very common impression that the property 
was acquired without due consideration, and although 
we have contradicted this several times in our paper, 
the accusation is still repeated, showing that the re- 
port is circulated by persons who are prejudiced 

* Nooks and Corners of Old New York, by Charles Hemstreet, 1905, 
p. 203. 

t T. F. Meehan in The Catholic News, Feb. 1, 1908, reproduces 
complete report; also Catholic Review, July 15, 1882. 



X INTRODUCTION 

against the present owners. Wishing to furnish an 
exhaustive reply to an inquiry recently sent us, we 
asked Franklin H. Churchill, Esq., attorney and coun- 
sellor-at-law, who had searched the title, to give us a 
full history of the several transfers. His reply has 
been made at considerable length, but we can not well 
abridge it without lessening its interest, and we there- 
fore give it in full to our readers. 

Colonel Stone published Mr. Churchill's entire re- 
port, which corresponds exactly with that of Mr. Beek- 
man, which we reproduce below. Mr. Churchill, how- 
ever, in spite of his personal investigation and lucid 
exposition of the facts, did not succeed in correcting 
the false impression. In our local annals there is no 
more flagrant example of how difficult it is to kill a lie, 
especially when begotten of prejudice and bigotry, 
than this persistent accusation against the large and 
representative body of Catholic citizens. Again, in 
1893, Mr. John D. Crimmins requested a distinguished 
lawyer, Henry R. Beekman, to institute a thorough 
examination of the title to the Cathedral property, 
and we submit the result of Mr. Beekman's investiga- 
tions to all fair-minded citizens, in the hope that it may 
eradicate this vestige of bigotry from the pages of our 
local history. 

Legal Opinion of Henry R. Beekman on Title to 
Cathedral Land. 

New York, October 23, 1893. 
Hon. John D. Crimmins : 

For many years the statement has been made from 
time to time in the public prints and elsewhere that 
the land on Fifth Avenue, between Fiftieth and Fifty- 
first Streets, upon which St. Patrick's Cathedral is 



INTRODUCTION xi 

erected, was a gift to that church from the city, or 
had been acquired in some way, without adequate con- 
sideration, through the partiaHty of the officers of 
the city. 

The natural effect of the constant reiteration of this 
statement has been to inspire a general belief in its 
truth and a feeling on the part of many that an inde- 
fensible use has been made of the public property. 

That such a belief is prejudicial to the Church which 
the Cathedral represents is so apparent that no excuse 
can be necessary for the desire on the part of those 
belonging to it that the facts which support the title 
to the land in question should be fully stated. In 
response, therefore, to your request that I should 
examine the records which show how this property 
was acquired by the trustees of St. Patrick's Cathe- 
dral, and advise you whether there is any foundation 
for the statement above referred to, I take pleasure 
in laying before you the following results of my ex- 
amination : 

In 1796, Casimir T. Goerck laid out what were 
known as the common lands belonging to the Mayor, 
Aldermen, and Commonalty of the city of New York 
into blocks bounded on the north and south by un- 
named streets, sixty feet in width. The property in 
question forms a part of Block No. 62 on said map, 
which in 1799 was conveyed by the Mayor, Aldermen, 
and Commonalty of the city of New York to one 
Robert Lylburn for the sum of i405 and a perpetual 
quit rent of ''four bushels of good merchantable wheat 
or the value thereof in gold or silver coin of lawful 
money of the State of New York, payable on May 
1st of each and every year." The deed also contained 
a right of re-entry, should the quit rent not be paid. 
The legal effect of this conveyance was to vest in Lyl- 
burn the title in fee to said premises, subject to for- 
feiture if the quit rent should not be paid. The prop- 
erty was conveyed by Lylburn in 1810 to Francis 
Thompson and Thomas Cadle, who in turn sold it to 



xii INTRODUCTION 

Andrew Morris and Cornelius Heeney, by whom it 
was mortgaged in 1810 to the Eagle Fire Company 
of New York, and in 1821 conveyed to one Dennis 
Do5de, subject to said mortgage. 

The Eagle Fire Company having instituted proceed- 
ings for the foreclosure of the mortgage, the property 
was, by the decree of the Court of Chancery, sold at 
public auction and was purchased on such sale by 
Francis Cooper, to whom it was accordingly conveyed 
on November 12, 1828, by Christian L. Grim, a mas- 
ter of Chancery. 

By deed, dated January 30, 1829, and recorded in 
the Register's Office in this city in Liber 248 of Con- 
veyances, page 71, Francis Cooper conveyed the same 
property to the trustees of St. Peter's Church in the 
city of New York. The recitals in this deed state that 
just prior to the sale in the foreclosure proceedings, 
Francis Cooper, Peter Duffy, Cornelius Heeney, Gar- 
ret Byrne, and Hugh Sweeney, acting on behalf of 
the trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. Peter's 
Church, had selected the property in question for a 
burial-ground, and had designated Francis Cooper to 
attend the sale and bid for the property ; that the pur- 
chase was accordingly made by Cooper for $5,550, 
which money, as well as an additional sum of $51.53, 
exacted by the master of Chancery for interest, was 
paid in equal parts by the trustees of St. Patrick's 
Cathedral and the trustees of St. Peter's Church, and 
that the property was purchased by Cooper and the 
title thereto taken by him for these two corporations 
which had advanced the purchase money. It was ac- 
cordingly conveyed to them. 

Thus the title to the property became vested in these 
two bodies by purchase at public auction for a sub- 
stantial consideration, and some thirty years after the 
city of New York had parted with its title. 

About 1811 a new plan of streets and avenues was 
adopted by the city, which differed from the one de- 
vised by Goerck in 1796, and the result was that the 



INTRODUCTION xiii 

city and the grantees of adjoining portions of the com- 
mon lands it had sold found themselves in many cases 
with parcels of land cut off from a frontage on the 
new streets by strips, in some cases not more than a 
few inches in width. To remedy this mischief, a gen- 
eral plan of adjustment of boundaries was authorized 
by the Common Council, which involved an exchange 
of these strips between the city and its grantees so as 
to give each full blocks bounded by the new streets. 

In the case under consideration the situation was as 
follows : The trustees of the Cathedral and of St. 
Peter's Church owned a strip of land extending along 
the northerly side of Fifty-first Street, being four feet, 
eight inches at Fourth Avenue and tapering to a point 
at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifty-first 
Street. The balance of the block between Fifty- 
first and Fifty-second Street was owned by the city, 
which was thus shut off from any frontage on Fifty- 
first Street. 

On the other hand the city owned a strip of land 
extending along the northerly side of Fiftieth Street, 
being five feet, six inches wide at Fourth Avenue and 
ten inches wide at Fifth Avenue, thus excluding the 
trustees of the Cathedral and of St. Peter's from any 
frontage on Fiftieth Street. As in numerous other 
similar cases, an exchange of these small strips so 
nearly equal in area was made between the city and 
the trustees in 1852, by which each secured the ad- 
vantage of a full frontage on a street from which it 
had been excluded. 

The exchange in question was fair, and was made in 
pursuance of a general plan and in no respect different 
from a large number of other cases of a like character. 

During all of the time which had elapsed since the 
original grant to Lylburn, the property continued sub- 
ject to the annual payment to the city of the quit rent 
of four bushels of wheat or their equivalent in current 
money. The city had made a large number of grants 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

of other property, reserving similar quit rents, which 
were perpetual in their character. 

Subsequently, however, it inaugurated the policy of 
commuting these quit rents for a lump sum and re- 
leasing the property affected from the charge of fu- 
ture payments. Doubtless it was found that these 
charges materially interfered with the subdivision and 
sale of the property, and consequently tended seriously 
to impede the growth of the city. 

In pursuance of this policy the quit rent in question 
— four bushels of wheat — was capitalized at $83.32, 
which sum was paid to the city by the trustees, and 
the release, customary in such cases, was made to them 
by the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the city 
of New York, by deed dated November 11, 1852, and 
recorded in the Register's Office in Liber 620 of Con- 
veyances, page 364. The sum so paid represents a 
capitalization at six per cent., taking a bushel of wheat 
at $1.25, and certainly appears to have been both suffi- 
cient in itself and conformable to the general rule 
adopted by the city at that time in similar cases. 

Subsequently the trustees of St. Peter's Church con- 
veyed their interest to the trustees of St. Patrick's 
Cathedral, who thus became sole owners of the prop- 
erty. 

From the examination of the title thus made, these 
facts indisputably appear: 

1st. That the bulk of the property in question had 
been sold and conveyed by the city for a valuable con- 
sideration some thirty years before it was purchased 
by the Cathedral and St. Peter's Church at public auc- 
tion under a title derived through several intermediate 
owners from the original grantee of the city. 

2d. That the rest of the property, consisting of a 
slender strip bordering on the north side of Fiftieth 
Street, five feet, six inches wide on Fourth Avenue, 
and ten inches wide on Fifth Avenue, was obtained by 
grant from the city, but in exchange for a similar strip 
on the south side of Fifty-first Street which was con- 



INTRODUCTION xv 

veyed by the Cathedral and St. Peter's Church to the 
city — a full equivalent and a transaction- as beneficial 
to the city as to the Cathedral. 

3d. That the quit rent of four bushels of wheat re- 
served in the original grant to Lylburn in 1799 was 
released by the city upon the payment by the Cathe- 
dral of a lump sum in commutation, amounting to 
$83.32, which represented a correct and fair capitaliza- 
tion, at the time, of the rent in question. 

In all of the above transactions the dealings of the 
city with the Cathedral differed in no wise from a 
large number of similar ones had by the city with 
other owners of portions of its common lands, and it 
is apparent upon the face of the facts as I have de- 
tailed them, that the criticisms which have been passed 
upon the method of acquisition by the Cathedral of 
its property are wholly without foundation or justifica- 
tion. 

Yours very truly, 
(Signed) Henry R. Beekman. 

Some observations of Air. Churchill may serve to 
explain how such an unjust charge could have had 
even the semblance of a foundation : "In order to 
remove some confusion of ideas which may exist and 
doubts which may remain, in spite of the facts which 
have been stated, it may be well to say that the prop- 
erty occupied by the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, 
between Fifty-first and Fifty-second Streets and 
Fourth and Fifth Avenues, was granted and leased by 
the city for nominal considerations. Such also is the 
case as respects the Foundling Asylum and St. Jo- 
seph's Industrial Home. If there is any question 
whether it is proper that the city should make gratui- 
tous grants and leases to institutions engaged in works 
of charity, it must be remembered that sixteen other 



xvi INTRODUCTION 

institutions, mostly conducted in the exclusive interest 
of various Protestant denominations, but including one 
Jewish institution, and two or three hospitals having 
no religious character, have received and now enjoy 
similar grants or leases." 

"A more impartial witness," writes Mr. Meehan, 
*'to the details of the purchase could hardly be secured 
than The Journal of Commerce, which for generations 
has been New York's leading commercial organ. Col- 
onel Stone, as will be remembered, was, during a long 
and honored career as an editor, regarded as among 
the foremost of our public-spirited citizens and leaders 
of public opinion." 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Preface v 

Introduction ix 



PART I. 

Old St. Peter's (1785-1815). 

CHAPTER I. 

Beginnings of St. Peter's 

Rev. Ferdinand Farmer, S.J., Founder of First 
Congregation in New York. — The Catholic 
Church Incorporated June 10, 1784. — Rev. 
Charles Whelan, O. M. Cap., First Resident 
Pastor. — Lease of Five Lots in Barclay 
Street. — Corner-stone laid October 5, 1785. — 
Dr. Carroll on Trusteeism. — Rev. Andrew 
Nugent, O. M. Cap., Second Pastor. — Dedica- 
tion and First Mass, November 4, 1786. — 
Rev. William O'Brien, O.P., Third Pastor. . . 3 

CHAPTER //. 

Earliest Records of St. Peter's. 

Struggle for Existence. — Appeals. — Father 
O'Brien Collects in Mexico and Cuba. — Mem- 
orial to Trinity Corporation. — Plans for Com- 
pleting Church. — Donation from Bishop and 
Chapter of Pueblo de los Angeles. — St. Peter's 
Free School Established March 30, 1800 18 



xviii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER III. PAGE 

The Completion of St. Peter's. 

The Church Completed by Father O'Brien. — 
Heroic Work of Clergy during Yellow Fever 
Ravages. — Mother Seton makes her Profes- 
sion of Faith in St. Peter's. — Illness and 
Death of Father O'Brien. — Memorial to the 
Legislature. — Distinguished Laymen of St. 
Peter's Congregation. — List of Pastors, As- 
sistants, and Trustees 33 

PART IL 
The Old Cathedral of St. Patrick (1809-1879). 

CHAPTER I. 

Beginnings of the Old Cathedral 

See of New York created April 8, 1808.— Right 
Rev. Richard L. Concanen, O.P., First Bish- 
op. — Site of the old Cathedral. — Rev. An- 
thony Kohlmann, S.J., First Rector. — Plans 
for Building. — Corner-stone laid June 8, 1809. 
— Appeal for Funds. — Patrician Society 
founded January 22, 1810. — Death of Bishop 
Concanen. — New York Literary Institution. . 49 

CHAPTER IL 

The Completion of Old St. Patrick's. 

Right Rev. John Connolly, O.P., Second Bishop. — 
Dedication of Cathedral, May 4, 1815. — First 
Orphan Asylum. — St. Patrick's School opened 
1817.— School Report (1805-1824). St. Pat- 
rick's Christian Doctrine Society. — Separate 
Incorporation, April 14, 1817. — Difficulties 
with Trustees. — Deeds Found and Registered. 
— First Ordination. — Death of Bishop Con- 
nolly 62 



CONTENTS xix 

CHAPTER III, PAGE 

Memories of Old St. Patrick's. 

Right Rev. John Dubois, Third Bishop. — First 
Consecration. — First Diocesan Synod. — First, 
Second, and Third Provincial Councils. — 
Death of Archbishop Hughes. — Installation of 
Archbishop McCloskey. — Old St. Patrick's 
burned, Oct. 6, 1866. — Re-dedicated March 
17, 1868. — Investiture of First American 
Cardinal. — Rectors 85 

PART III. 

The New Cathedral of St. Patrick. 

CHAPTER I. 

The New Cathedral Begun. 

The Beginnings of the New Cathedral. — The Site. 
— Old St. John's Church. — Contracts. — Arch- 
itect's Report. — Circular Letter of Archbishop 
Hughes. — Corner-stone laid August 15, 1858. 
— Extracts from Sermon of Archbishop 
Hughes. . Ill 

CHAPTER //. 

The Completion of the New Cathedral. 

Cathedral Fair. — Dedication May 25, 1879. — First 
Consecration. — Translation of Archbishop 
Hughes' Remains. — Cardinal McCloskey's 
Golden Jubilee. — The Cardinal's Death. — In- 
stallation of Archbishop Corrigan. — Spires 
Erected. — Episcopal Jubilee of Archbishop 
Corrigan. — His Death. — Synods and Provin- 
cial Councils. — Installation of Archbishop 
Farley.— Cathedral Parish 128 



XX CONTENTS 

CHAPTER III, PAGE 

Description of the New Cathedral. 
Exterior. — Interior. — The Lady Chapel. — The 
Altars. — The Throne. — The Pulpit. — The 
Stations of the Cross. — The Ostensorium . . . 153 

CHAPTER IV. 

Description of the New Cathedral. (Continued.) 

The Windows 181 

CHAPTER V. 
Description of the New Cathedral. (Continued.) 
The Statues. — The Chapels. — The Paintings. — The 
Chimes. — The Organs. — Lighting. — Heating. 
—Ventilation 209 

APPENDIX. 

1. Succession of Prelates in the Archdiocese 

of New York 231 

II. The Archdiocese of New York in 1908. . . 233 

III. The Architect of the Cathedral 234 

IV. Subscriptions Received in Response to the 

circular of the Most Reverend Arch- 
bishop Hughes for New Cathedral of 

St. Patrick 235 

V. The High Altar in the Cathedral.— Gift of 
the Clergy of the Archdiocese of New 

York 245 

VI. The Subscribers for the Stained Glass 
Windows in the New St. Patrick's 

Cathedral 248 

VII. Church Assessments for New Cathedral 

(1867-1876) 252 

VIII. Archbishop Hughes to Trustees 256 

IX. Trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral, 1817- 

1908 260 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



facing page 
Frontispiece. 

Old St. Peter's, Barclay Street 13^ 

Right Rev. Richard Luke Concanen 26 -^ 

Old St. Patrick's, Mott Street 51-^ 

Pope Pius VII 58 ^ 

Right Rev. John Connolly 71 / 

Right Rev. John Dubois 85 /^ 

Most Rev. John Hughes 90 ^ 

His Eminence, Cardinal McCloskey 97 ^ 

Most Rev. Michael Augustine Corrigan 102 • 

Most Rev. John M. Farley 111^ 

James Renwick, Architect of the Cathedral. 117- 

Ground Plan of the Cathedral 122 - 

East View 126 ^ 

West View 133 

North Transept 136 

Bronze Doors of Transept 143 ^ 

The Crypt 149 ^ 

The Lady Chapel 155 

r 

Interior of the Lady Chapel 158 ^ 

The Altar of St. Michael and St. Louis 165^ 

Altar of St. Elizabeth 171 ^ 

Holy Family Altar 177 • 

The High Altar 183 " 



xxii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Statue of St. Patrick 189' 

The Pulpit 192 

Altar of St. Bernard and St. Bridget 199 

Altar of St. John Baptist de la Salle 202 

Altar of St. Augustine 209 

Altar of the Holy Face 215 

Altar of St. Anthony of Padua 218 

Altar of St. John the Evangelist 225 

Altar of St. Stanislaus Kostka 228 



PART I. 
Old St. Peter's (1785-1815), 



CHAPTER I. 
Beginnings of St. Peter's. 

Rev. Ferdinand Farmer, S.J., Founder of First 
Congregation in New York. — The Catholic 
Church Incorporated June 10,1784. — Rev. Charles 
Whelan, O. M. Cap., First Resident Pastor. — 
Lease of Five Lots in Barclay Street. — Corner- 
stone LAID October 5, 1785. — Dr. Carroll on Trus- 
TEEiSM. — Rev. Andrew Nugent, O. M. Cap., Second 
Pastor. — Dedication and First Mass, November 4, 
1786.— Rev. William O'Brien, O.P., Third Pastor. 

The first priest who regularly officiated for the 
Catholics in this city was the learned Jesuit, the Rev. 
Ferdinand Farmer,* whose real name was Steen- 
mayer. A great mathematician, he had co-operated 
in a work on the Transit of Venus, and was a member 
of the Royal Society of London, of the American 
Philosophical Society, and a trustee of the University 
of Pennsylvania. Father Farmer came to America in 
1752 and was assigned to the missions of Maryland. 
He visited New York at intervals, though obliged to 
enter the city in disguise and minister secretly to a few 
Catholics assembled in the house of a good German in 
Wall Street, or any other available place. "Until the 
close of the Revolutionary War and while the English 
laws were in force in the country, no Catholic clergy- 
man was allowed to officiate in this State. "f As soon 
as the British evacuated New York, Father Farmer 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 192. 
t History of the Churches of New York, by Rev. Jonathan Grcenleaf, 
p. 333. 



4 BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 

came openly to the city and gathered together the scat- 
tered members of his flock. On April 6, 1784, the Leg- 
islature passed "An Act to enable all the Religious De- 
nominations in this State to appoint Trustees." The 
Catholics at once took advantage of this statute, and on 
June 10, 1785, the Catholic Church in this city was 
legally incorporated, with Hector St. John de Creve- 
coeur, Consul General of France, Jose Roiz Silva, 
James Stewart, and Henry Duffin as the "Trustees of 
the Roman Catholic Church in the city of New York." 
The first pastor of this newly incorporated body was 
the Rev. Charles Whelan,* an Irish Capuchin monk, 
who had served as a chaplain in Admiral de Grasse's 
fleet. "At the close of the war," writes Bishop Bayley, 
"he (Father Whelan) determined to go on the Ameri- 
can mission, and became the first regularly settled 
priest in the city of New York."f 

In a letter dated December 15, 1785, the Rev. Dr. 
Carroll, Prefect Apostolic, writes to the Rev. Charles 
Plowden: "The congregation at New York, begun by 
the venerable Mr. Farmer, of Philadelphia, he has 
now ceded to the Irish Capuchin resident there." Fa- 
ther Farmer until his death, August 16, 1786, contin- 
ued to visit the New York congregation of which he 
is justly considered the founder, and of which the 
Rev. Charles Whelan was the first resident pastor. In 
1781 and 1782 Mass was celebrated in a loft over a 
carpenter shop near Barclay Street, which was then in 



* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 196. 

t Bayley, History of the Catholic Church in New York, p. 56. The 
first native of New York State raised to the priesthood was the Rev. 
James Neale, who was born in St. Peter's parish and acted as assistant 
there from Oct. 16, 1833, until his death Nov. 6, 1838. He had pre- 
viously entered the Society of Jesus. (Historical Records and Studies, 
Vol. II., p. 43.) 



BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 5 

the suburbs of the city.* Sometimes the faithful assem- 
bled in the parlor of the Spanish consul, Don Thomas 
Stoughton,t and in 1785 Don Diego de Gardoqui, the 
Spanish ambassador, opened his house for Catholic 
services. 

Mr. Greenleaf states that the Catholics, after their 
organization, worshiped at first "in a building erected 
for public purposes in Vauxhall Garden, situated on a 
margin of the North River, the garden extending from 
Warren to Chambers Streets. "J This place was not 
suitable for church purposes and in April, 1785, Hector 
St. John de Crevecoeur, who had won distinction as a 
brilliant soldier under Montcalm in Canada, applied to 
the city authorities for the use of the Exchange, a 
building then located at the lower end of Broad Street, 
and occupied as a court room. The Catholics were few 
in number, and poor in resources, but had some influ- 
ence, because New York, then the temporary seat of 
the Government, was the residence of the foreign Min- 
isters, several of whom were Catholics, and when Con- 
gress was in session the Catholic members added the 
weight of their social and political prestige. Of these 
Catholics, St. John de Crevecoeur, who had become a 
farmer in New York, should be held in grateful re- 
membrance. When the Common Council refused to 
give the use of the Exchange, St. John de Crevecoeur 
resented the act as an insult. He took the initiative, 



* An Italian traveler, Castiglioni, mentions hearing Mass in the 
"camera poco decente" but that the Catholics, though neither rich nor 
many, bought a lot in the winter of 1785. iViaggio negli Stati Uniti, 
Vol. I., p. 177.) 

t "Mr. Velasquez informs me that Mr. Stoughton lived at that time 
in Water Street, and that Mass was celebrated in the second story 
of a small frame house near his residence." (Bayley, History of the 
Catholic Church in New York, p. 54.) 

t History of the Churches of New York, p. 333. 



6 BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 

reorganized the faithful, and encouraged them to pro- 
ceed at once to secure ground, and erect a church edi- 
fice. This zeal on his part is surprising, because ac- 
cording to reliable information he was by no means a 
fervent Catholic, and his Letters of an American Farmer 
revealed tendencies to the philosophy of Voltaire and to 
indifference in religion. How much the project of 
constructing a church meant in those days may be 
judged from the fact that at the close of 1784 the ven- 
erable Father Farmer could reckon only eighteen com- 
municants in New York, three of whom were Ger- 
mans. In a letter to the Rev. Dr. Carroll, dated Feb- 
ruary 21, 1785, Father Farmer says: "The Rev. Mr. 
Whelan from New York writeth to me that he counts 
about two hundred."* 

However, in the summer of 1785, after considerable 
difficulty in selecting a site. Father Whelan, acting on 
the advice of Mr. Silva, bought a lease of five lots in 
Barclay Street extending to Church. These five lots, 
now occupied by St. Peter's Church, were leased "from 
parties who held a long lease from 'The Rector and 
Inhabitants of the city of New York in Communion 
of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the State of 
New York' (the old title of Trinity Corporation )."t 

It may be interesting to note that the site on which 
St. Peter's now stands is that on which the Rev. John 
Ury, an English non-conforming clergyman, was exe- 
cuted, August 29, 1741, on the supposition that he was a 
Catholic priest and was involved in the "Negro Plot."t 

* Bayley, History of the Catholic Church in New York, p. 57. 

t MgT. J. H. McGean, Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 35(S. 

t His last speech and a brief account of the affair may be found in 
the Green Banner, November 5, 1836, and in the New York Catholic 
Register, October 17, 1839, pp. 27 and 28. Mr. Shea is of opinion that 
Ury was hanged on an island in the Collect. (See "Negro Plot," by 
John Gilmary Shea, printed in Valentine's Manual.) 



BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 7 

The minutes of Trinity Church, August 17, 1785, 
record a petition from the newly organized parish of 
St. Peter that "it might be permitted to purchase the 
reversion of certain lots of the Church Farm, the 
leases of which they have purchased from former ten- 
ants." The Trinity Corporation acted favorably on 
the petition, and the corner-stone of the first St. Pe- 
ter's Church was laid on leased ground in Barclay 
Street, then the outskirts of the young city, on Octo- 
ber 5, 1785. The ceremony was performed by the 
Spanish minister, Don Diego de Gardoqui, in the pres- 
ence of a numerous and distinguished assemblage. 

The New York Packet, dated Monday, October 10, 
1785, has this notice of the event: ''Last Wednesday 
the foundation stone of the Roman Catholic chapel 
was laid (on ground lately purchased in the rear of 
St. Paul's Church, and set apart for the performance 
of divine service) by His Excellency, Don Diego de 
Gardoqui, minister from His Majesty the King of 
Spain." This is corroborated by the well-known 
Catholic historian, Mr. Martin I. J. Griffin, of Philadel- 
phia, in The I. C. B. U. Journal, March 5, 1885, in 
which he quotes The Pennsylvania Journal and Adver- 
tiser, as stating in its issue of Wednesday, October 12, 
1785, that the corner-stone of St. Peter's had been laid 
on the previous Wednesday. 

In accordance with the desire of the congregation, 
the new church was named St. Peter's. It was to be 
a handsome brick structure, with a square tower forty- 
eight feet front by eighty-one in depth. Appeals for 
aid were addressed to the Kings of France and Spain. 
Notwithstanding the earnest endeavors of Mr. de 
Crevecoeur, no response was received from the French 



8 BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 

King. Charles IV. of Spain instructed Don Gardoqui 
to contribute in his name $1,000. This contribution 
was received in June, 1786, and was acknowledged by 
the trustees, who set apart a pew in the church for the 
perpetual use of the Spanish Legation. 

It is curious that the reports of the ceremonies 
attending the laying of the corner-stone make no 
mention of the pastor, the Rev. Father Whelan, a 
zealous, well-educated priest, with no little dry wit, 
more familiar with French than English, and hence a 
poor preacher, which was an unpardonable defect in 
those days, and estranged the congregation from the 
beginning. Early in 1785, after a visit to New York, 
Father Farmer wrote to Dr. Carroll: "The congre- 
gation there seems to me to be yet in a poor situation, 
and under many difficulties. Father Whelan, since get- 
ting faculties, had only twenty odd communicants, and 
I had eighteen, three of whom were Germans. When 
I left New York they were entirely out of place for 
keeping the church. Scarce was I arrived there when 
an Irish merchant paid me a visit and asked me if Mr. 
Whelan was settled over them. My answer, as far 
as I can remember, was that he had only power to 
perform parochial duties; but if the congregation did 
not like him and could better themselves they were 
not obliged to keep him. Some days after, another, 
seeing Mr. Whelan's endeavors to settle himself there, 
as it were, in spite of them, declared to me that he 
had a mind to apply to the Legislature for a law that 
no clergyman could be forced upon them, which he 
thought he could easily obtain. I endeavored to recon- 
cile them by telling Mr. Whelan to make himself agree- 
able to his countrymen and by telling these to be con- 



BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 9 

tented with what they had at present, for fear of 



worse. 



'* 



Dr. Carroll, late in the same year (December 15th), 
in a letter to Father Plowden, bears testimony to the 
excellent character of Father Whelan, and reveals the 
motives of the congregation's dissatisfaction with him 
'The Capuchin (Father Whelan) is a zealous, pious, 
and, I think, humble man. He is not, indeed, so learned 
or so good a preacher as I could wish, which mortifies 
his congregation; as at New York and most other 
places in America the different sectaries have scarce 
any other test to judge of a clergyman than his talents 
for preaching, and our Irish congregations, such as 
New York, follow the same rule."t These strained 
relations between Father Whelan and his people were 
aggravated by the arrival of the Rev. Andrew Nu- 
gent, J another Capuchin, in 1786, whom Dr. Carroll, 
after some hesitation, appointed as an assistant to the 
pastor of St. Peter's. Trouble soon broke out between 
Father Whelan and his assistant, as appears from a 
letter of Father Whelan, dated December 20, 1785, 
to Dr. Carroll, with "great complaint against his con- 
frere." Father Nugent was a good preacher and this 
made him very popular with the congregation, the 
members of which, with four exceptions, voted to de- 
pose Father Whelan in favor of Father Nugent. Fa- 
ther Farmer in one of his letters states : "Mr. Whelan 
informs me that ever since Christmas they have taken 
from him the collection which is usually made on Sun- 
days after church, and which was his support. Your 
Reverence is very sensible of the irregularity of these 

* Bayley, History of the Catholic Church in New York, pp. 57-58. 

tibid., pp. 55-56. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 198. 



10 BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 

proceedings." The contest became so intense that the 
Prefect ApostoHc was obliged to intervene. The trus- 
tees claimed the right to choose or depose their pastor, 
and asseverated that the ecclesiastical authorities must 
abide by their decision in such matters. If necessary, 
they were determined to resort to legal means to 
establish this principle and rid themselves of Father 
Whelan. Dr. Carroll undertook the difficult task of 
peacemaker. He urged the two priests to settle their 
contest in a generous spirit of fraternal charity, and 
set clearly before the trustees the pernicious tenden- 
cies of their principles. The words of the Prefect Apos- 
tolic will be found most interesting and instructive. 
"If ever the principles there laid down should become 
predominant, the unity and catholicity of our Church 
would be at an end; and it would be formed into dis- 
tinct and independent societies, nearly in the same 
manner as the Congregational Presbyterians of your 
neighboring New England States. A zealous clergy- 
man performing his duty courageously and without 
respect of persons would be always liable to be the 
victim of his earnest endeavors to stop the progress of 
vice and evil example, and others more compliant with 
the passions of some principal persons of the congre- 
gation would be substituted in his room: and if the 
ecclesiastical superior has no control of these in- 
stances, I will refer it to your own judgment what the 
consequences may be. The great source of misconcep- 
tion in this matter is that an idea appears to be taken 
both by you and Mr. Whelan that the officiating clergy- 
man at New York is a parish priest, whereas there is 
yet no such office in the United States. The hierarchy 
of our American Church not being yet constituted, no 



BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 11 

parishes are formed; and the clergy coming to the 
assistance of the faithful are but voluntary laborers in 
the vineyard of Christ, not vested with ordinary juris- 
diction annexed to their offices, but exercising it 
as a delegated and extra-hierarchical commission. I 
can not tell what assistance the laws might give you; 
but allow me to say that you can take no step so fatal 
to that respectability in which as a religious society 
you wish to stand, or more prejudicial to the Catholic 
cause. I must, therefore, entreat you to decline a 
design so pernicious to all your prospects; and pro- 
testing against measures so extreme, I explicitly de- 
clare that no clergyman, be he who he may, shall re- 
ceive any spiritual powers from me, who shall advise 
or countenance so unnecessary and prejudicial a pro- 
ceeding."* 

Notwithstanding the agitation against him. Father 
Whelan made every effort to advance the construction 
of his church. The New York papers, New York 
Gazetteer and County Journal and New York Packet, 
May 26, 1786, published a call for estimates from 
masons and carpenters, and the work progressed rap- 
idly during the summer months, owing to the con- 
stant endeavors of Father Whelan, who, however, had 
to resign his office in February, 1786, because of the 
persistent, unjust, and ungrateful attacks of his ene- 
mies, who thus deprived him of the consolation of 
witnessing the dedication of the temple for which he 
had made so many sacrifices.f Father Whelan left New 
York and went to pay a visit to his brother, forty-five 
miles from Albany. Besides Father Nugent, there 

* Shea, Catholic Church in the United States, Vol. II., p. 276. 
t Ibid., pp. 276-277. 



12 BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 

was but one other priest in the city, M. de la VaU- 
niere,* to whom Father Farmer sent ''powers to per- 
form parochiaHa without restrictions to the French. "f 

On March 6, 1786, Father Farmer wrote to Dr. 
Carroll : "What to me is the greatest difficulty in the 
appointment of Father Nugent is the arbitrary and 
ungenerous manner in which they forced poor Father 
Whelan to depart, who, though he was not very learned, 
yet was ready to ask and take advice, which I be- 
lieve is not the quality of the former. The sec- 
ond is they who take upon them to be the trustees 
(at least some of them), have the principle that they 
can choose for themselves whom they please, whether 
approved by the superior or not, as I formerly heard 
they said, and now the fact proves. The principle is 
of the most pernicious consequence, and must be con- 
tradicted. "J: 

Dr. Carroll had no alternative but to appoint Father 
Nugent, whose faculties were limited ''usque ad revo- 
cationem." Soon after, on April 13, 1786, Father 
Farmer informed the Prefect Apostolic that "the trus- 
tees at New York offered Mr. Nugent for his yearly 
salary $300, the Sunday collections included, but he 
demanded $400, upon which they declared to him if 
he was not satisfied he had liberty to depart and 
welcome." 

In producing the above letters, Mr. Campbell § in his 
Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll, makes the fol- 
lowing reflections : "It may serve to illustrate the his- 
tory and to show the pernicious tendency of the trustee 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 199. 
t Bayley, p. 61, note. 
% Ibid., p. 61. 
§Ibid., p. 62. 




OLD ST. PETER'S , BAR CLAY ST, 
178 5 



BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 13 

system to remark that at the period of this presump- 
tuous interference of the trustees of the Catholic con- 
gregation of New York with the spiritual government 
of the Church, they were not in possession of an edifice 
of their own in which to perform divine worship, but 
were under the necessity of hiring a room for the pur- 
pose." 

Here we must not forget to mention the Rev. John 
Connell, O.P.,* who arrived in New York May 17, 
1786, and officiated in St. Peter's in 1787. Father 
Connell had been Vicar of the Hospital of the Irish 
Dominicans at Bilboa, and was sent to the Spanish 
minister at New York, who had appealed to the King 
for the services of a chaplain. "At the request of the 
King of Spain, faculties were given Father Connell by 
the Titular Archbishop of Corinth, the Apostolic Nun- 
cio at Madrid, and in addition to his duties as chaplain 
he attended the few Catholics then in the city, thus 
becoming the first of the series of Dominican missiona- 
ries in New York."t 

Father Nugent prosecuted the building of the church 
with vigor, and the work had advanced so far by the 
end of summer that the dedication was set for No- 
vember 4, the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, as a 
compliment to the King of Spain, Charles IV., who 
had been so generous a benefactor of the church. The 
New York Packet, dated Tuesday, November 7, 1786, 
has this brief notice of the ceremony : 

"Saturday morning the Roman Catholic church in 
this city was privately consecrated to the service of 
Almighty God by the Rev. Mr. Nugent, rector of said 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 197. 
t Archbishop Corrigan, ibid. 



14 BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 

church ; when further progress is made in the building, 
it will then be dedicated with the usual solemnities, of 
which timely notice will be given. There were present 
at the ceremony His Excellency Don Gardoqui, and 
son, his excellency's secretary, and several other gen- 
tlemen of distinction." 

In the sanctuary of the present church a marble 
tablet commemorates these two important events in its 
history by this inscription : 

Corner-stone laid October 5, 1785. 
Church Opening, November 4, 1786. 

The first Mass in St. Peter's Church was the High 
Mass sung on the opening day by Father Nugent, as- 
sisted by the chaplains of the French and Spanish Le- 
gations. The church had been blessed privately the 
same morning by the pastor, who at the close of the 
Mass delivered a fitting discourse. Places of honor 
were occupied by Don Diego de Gardoqui, his suite, 
and prominent Spanish residents of the city. "After 
the ceremonies the Spanish minister entertained at din- 
ner in his house the President of the United States 
and his cabinet, the members and secretaries of Con- 
gress, the Governor of the State, the representatives of 
foreign powers, many of whom probably attended the 
service in the church."* 

The trustees decided to change the original title of 
incorporation, which was considered too vague. Due 
notice was given by the rector on two successive Sun- 
days, and on April 23, 1787, the congregation adopted 
as its title "The Trustees for the Roman Catholic Con- 

* Shea, Vol. II., p. 285. 



BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 15 

gregation of St. Peter's Church in the city of New 
York in America." 

The population of the city at the time was about 
25,000, of which number not more than 400 were Cath- 
oHcs. The earhest entries in the baptismal register of 
St. Peter's Church reveal how cosmopolitan was this 
small flock. Irish names are the most numerous, then 
come the French, the German, the Italian, Spanish, 
Scotch, and English.* 

Alas, the little bark of St. Peter's was not launched 
in peaceful waters. Soon the waves of discord again 
encompassed it on every side, and it seemed destined 
to be submerged by overwhelming debts and the con- 
stant trouble between the combative Father Nugent 
and his people. The trustees had good reason to re- 
gret their ungrateful action in substituting Father 
Nugent for the good Father Whelan, and frequently 
appealed to the Prefect Apostolic to depose their un- 
worthy rector. At last, in view of the serious charges 
preferred by the trustees. Dr. Carroll in October, 1787, 
withdrew the temporary faculties of Father Nugent 
and appointed in November, 1787, as pastor of St. Pe- 
ter's the Rev. William 0'Brien,t a zealous Dominican. 
Father Nugent refused to obey the orders of the 
Prefect Apostolic, who proceeded to New York at 
once. Dr. Carroll attempted to begin Mass on Sun- 
day morning, when Father Nugent interrupted the 
service and created such a disturbance in the church 
that he was suspended from the exercise of any priestly 
function. The Prefect, with the greater part of the 

* See Baptismal Register of St. Peter's, Mgr. McGean, Historical 
Records and Studies, Vol. I., pp. 97, 387; Vol. II., pp. 148, 454; Vol. 
III., pp. 217, 506. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 200. 



16 BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 

congregation, withdrew to the private chapel of the 
Spanish minister, Don Diego de Gardoqui, where the 
Holy Sacrifice was offered. Some few members of 
the flock encouraged the unfortunate priest in his re- 
bellion against ecclesiastical authority, and maintained 
that Dr. Carroll had no power to suspend him. "It 
was," writes Shea, "the first occasion in the history 
of the Church in this country where the laity, in their 
ignorance of the constitution of the Church, supported 
a priest in resisting lawful authority."* 

On the following Sunday, Dr. Carroll again made 
an effort to say Mass in the church, but owing to the 
commotion aroused by Father Nugent and his adher- 
ents, had to repair with the people to the chapel of the 
Spanish Embassy. Finding it impossible to do any- 
thing with the intractable priest and his few blind fol- 
lowers, Dr. Carroll left New York in November. The 
trustees then resorted to legal measures. Father Nu- 
gent was compelled to withdraw from St, Peter's. 

In the records of St. Peter's we find references to 
the expenses incurred by the lawsuits against Father 
Nugent and his adherents. We must bear in mind 
that in those days priests came to the United States 
and exercised the holy ministry without authority from 
the local ecclesiastical superior. Even in our own day 
this is not an infrequent occurrence. This practice led 
to such abuses that the Propaganda issued a decree 
forbidding any clergyman to exercise the sacred min- 
istry in the United States without its permission. 
Hence when Fathers Whelan and Nugent arrived 
in New York the Prefect Apostolic was in a pre- 
dicament. However, as Father Whelan was already 

* Shea, Vol. II., p. 324. 



BEGINNINGS OF ST. PETER'S 17 

in the country when the decree was received, the 
Prefect granted him faculties. Father Nugent re- 
ceived only temporary faculties. Again, the Catholics 
at that time were few in number and were not suffi- 
ciently instructed in their religion. They were living 
in an atmosphere entirely non-Catholic, and it is not 
surprising if they followed the practices and principles 
of the Protestant Church with regard to the relations 
between a pastor and his congregation and to the tem- 
poral administration of church affairs. For them the 
standard of excellence for a pastor was his ability to 
preach, attract large audiences, and so increase the 
revenues of the church. They claimed the right to 
nominate or depose the pastor at pleasure. "In 
the minutes of the Board of Trustees of St. 
Peter's Church and of the old Cathedral, one comes 
across the remark time and again that the Rev. NN. 
being a good preacher, should be invited to fill their 
pulpit, no mention appearing of his virtuous character, 
his experience, zeal for souls, or the Bishop's 
sanction."* 



* Archbishop Corrigan, Historical Records and Studies, Vol. 
199. 



CHAPTER II. 

Earliest Records of St. Peter's. 

Struggle for Existence. — Appeals. — Father 
O'Brien Collects in Mexico and Cuba. — Memorial 
TO Trinity Corporation. — Plans for Completing 
Church. — Donation from Bishop and Chapter of 
Pueblo de los Angeles. — St. Peter's Free School 
Established March 30, 1800. 

Records of St. Peter's, i^Sq to 1811. 

The first entry in the "Records of St. Peter's 
Church" reads as follows : 

Monday in Easter Week^ New York, 

13th April, 1789. 
At a general vestry held in St. Peter's Church in 
the city of New York, on Easter Monday, April 13, 
1789 (subsequent to prior notifications published by 
the minister thereof) for the purpose of 'electing trus- 
tees for the ensuing year, agreeably to a law of the 
State passed the 6th day of April, 1784, entitled ''An 
Act to Enable all the Religious Denominations in this 
State to appoint Trustees," 

The following gentlemen were unanimously elected 
to that office, nem. con.: 

Dominick Lynch, Esq., 
Mr. George Barnewall, 
Mr. Andrew Morris, 
Mr. John Sullivan, 
Mr. Charles Neylon, 
Mr. William Mooney, 
Mr. Thomas Stoughton, 
Mr. Jose Roiz Silva, and 
Mr. Patrick Farrell. 



EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 19 

The foregoing gentlemen being authorized to act in 
the office of trustee for the temporalities of said 
church, from Monday in Easter week, 1789, to Mon- 
day in said week, 1790, which office they have re- 
spectively accepted of, during the period aforesaid. 

At a meeting of the trustees held on April 24, 1789, 
in the "dwelling-house of the Rev. Mr. William 
O'Brien," the following measures were adopted : 

That Mathias O'Connor, the present sexton of said 
church, be informed that the fees for burying the de- 
ceased belonging to the congregation, are to be paid 
before the ground is opened in the churchyard for the 
interment of any corpse whatever : 

That a notification be printed, and put up in the 
church, setting forth that the necessities of the same, 
and deficiency of funds, require the subscribers to be 
punctual in the payment of their respective subscrip- 
tions. 

That a committee consisting of Mr. Silva and Mr. 
Stoughton, be appointed to procure a plan from Mr. 
Thomas Ogilvie, the carpenter, for the erecting of from 
forty to fifty pews in the church, and to know his low- 
est terms of payment, and length of credit, and report 
the same at their next meeting. 

On June 1, 1789, the trustees met at the house of 
Mr. Jose Roiz Silva, and resolved to hold regular meet- 
ings on the first Monday evening of each month 
at 7 o'clock during summer and at 6 o'clock during 
winter. Absentees, unless excused by sickness or busi- 
ness outside the city, were fined eight shillings. On 
motion of Mr. Barnewall, 

It was unanimously agreed to select by ballot four 
gentlemen trustees who in due rotation, two and two, 
should make the collection, when the numbers being 
taken, stood as follows : 



20 EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 

No. 1, Mr. Andrew Morris. 

No. 2, Mr. William Mooney. 

Nos. 3 and 4, Messrs. Lynch and Silva. 

Nos. 5 and 6, Messrs. Barnewall and Sullivan. 

Nos. 7 and 8, Messrs. Stoughton and Farrell. 

Resolved, That the aforesaid gentlemen shall make 
the collections on every Sunday throughout the year 
in the church aforesaid agreeably to the aforesaid 
order and numbers as expressed above. 

And the two trustees whose number and order it 
may happen to be for the Sunday collection may sit 
in the seat set apart for, and called the trustees' pew, 
and that not more than three of the trustees shall sit 
in the said pew at any time. 

On June 8, 1789, an important meeting of the trus- 
tees took place at the home of Mr. Jose Roiz Silva. 
The following resolutions were adopted on motion of 
Mr. Lynch: 

Resolved, That a portable book be purchased, and 
that the individuals who compose the congregation of 
St. Peter's Church be requested to inscribe their names 
therein, each in his or her own handwriting, together 
with the street and number of their respective resi- 
dence and that the preamble or obligatory preface of 
said book be as follows, viz. : 

We, the subscribers, do hereby promise to pay into 
the hands of the trustees of St. Peter's Church in the 
city of New York, for the time being, the sums an- 
nexed to our respective names, every three months 
successively for the use of said church, which pay- 
ments are to commence on the first day of July next 
ensuing the day of the date hereof, given under our 
hands in New York, the ninth day of June, 1789. 

Resolved, That a letter be written to the Count de 
Moutiers, His Christian Majesty's Ambassador to 
these United States, by the secretary, he affixing the 
seal of said church thereto, representing to him the 



EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 21 

imperfect and reduced funds of said church, and 
requesting in very respectful terms his donation or con- 
tribution for the relief of the same. 

Resolved, That two memorials in the Spanish lan- 
guage, one directed to the Bishop of Cartagena, and 
another to the pious, zealous, and well-disposed 
Christians, subjects of His Catholic Majesty, inhabit- 
ing his dominions in South America, and that Mr. 
Thomas Stoughton be requested to dictate, compose, 
and write the same, and that they be forwarded by 
Dr. Salvador de los Monteros for the purpose of char- 
itable contributions. 

The letter to Count de Moutiers reads as follows : 

To His Excellency, Count de Moutiers, Minister 

Plenipotentiary from His Most Christian Majesty 

to the United States: 
May it Please Your Excellency: 

The trustees in behalf of the congregation of St. 
Peter's Church, in the city of New York, beg leave 
respectfully to represent that at the happy termination 
of the late Revolution, which secured in common with 
other religious denominations the free exercise of 
the Roman Catholic religion and the ample enjoyment 
of their civil rights : 

Being destitute of a proper house of worship, the 
congregation determined to build a church in which 
divine service might be performed with decency, and 
the public conveniently accommodated. 

This building hath been attended with more expense 
than at first expected, and the congregation, composed 
of the greatest numbers of poor though zealous peo- 
ple, instead of being able by their subscriptions to dis- 
charge a heavy debt contracted for in the erection of 
the edifice, it is with difficulty a competency can be 
raised to support a clergyman. 

In this disagreeable situation, the trustees of St. 
Peter's Church aforesaid, being without any revenue 
or funds whatsoever to make good the pressing de- 



22 EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 

mands of arrears due to mechanics for work and 
materials, with due submission are induced to apply to 
your excellency for an extension of that protection 
(in their present reduced situation), which the Univer- 
sal Church hath ever experienced from the power, 
wisdom, piety, and zeal of her eldest son, and at the 
same time earnestly solicit your generous aid in sup- 
port of the same and its religious establishments. 

Praying that the Almighty Donor of every good and 
perfect gift may long preserve the sacred life of His 
Most Christian Majesty, who in his wisdom has been 
pleased to appoint you his representative to these 
United States, and that your administration may be 
permanent amongst us and happy to yourself. 

By order of the trustees of St. Peter's Church. 

W. TiNNEY, Secretary. 

New York, June 13, lySp. 

Under the same date urgent appeals were addressed 
to St. John de Crevecoeur, the Consul-General of 
France, to M. de la Forest, the Vice-Consul, and to M. 
Otto, secretary of the consul. When the trustees met 
on June 15th, the secretary read copies of the letters to 
Count de Moutiers, to the Bishop of Cartagena, and 
to the Catholics of South America, ''representing the 
deplorable situation, and abject state of the finances 
of said church, the heavy debts remaining unpaid, the 
insufficiency of funds, and the great and imminent dan- 
ger of losing their temple, if charitable, Christian suc- 
cor is not speedily administered to their relief." 

The trustees directed that a letter of thanks be sent 
to Dr. Salvador de los Monteros for his many kind- 
nesses, with the request that he forward the respective 
memorials to the Bishop of Cartagena and to the 
Catholics of South America. 



EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 23 

We read in the minutes of July 6th, that Count 
de Moutiers received a vote of thanks for his gracious 
reception of the appeal which he readily forwarded to 
the court of France. "At the same time a generous 
donation from himself," was solicited. 

Unfortunately these financial difficulties were aug- 
mented by the strained relations between the congre- 
gation and the Rev. Andrew Nugent.* At a meeting 
held on August 3, 1789, "Mr. Lynch moved that a 
committee of three be appointed to wait on Richard 
Harrison, Esq. (lawyer), respecting his demand and 
account against St. Peter's Church, amounting to il99, 
3s, 8d, New York currency, being amount of sundry 
charges incurred in suits at law between the trustees 
and the Rev. Andrew Nugent and his adherents. 

"That the trustees' committee inform Mr. Harrison 
that they are appointed to make offer of a bond from 
the trustees payable three years after date with five per 
cent, interest." 

It has been noted that the trustees imposed a fine of 
eight shillings on members who were absent from a 
meeting unless excused by illness or by important busi- 
ness outside the city. The records give ample evidence 
that this wise provision was enforced and the church 
treasury profited not a little by the fines collected from 
the delinquent trustees. Thus on August 17, 1789, we 
find this entry : 

Dominick Lynch, Esq. . . .Present. 

Mr. George Barnewall Absent Fined 8s. 

Mr. Andrew Morris Present. 

Mr. John Sullivan Absent Fined 8s. 

Mr. Charles Neylon Absent Fined 8s. 

Mr. William Mooney Absent Fined 8s. 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 198. 



24 EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 

Mr. Thomas Stoughton. . . .Absent Fined 8s. 

Mr. Jose Roiz Silva Absent Fined 8s. 

Mr. Patrick Farrell Present. 

Total fines £2 8s. 

On September 7, 1789, the trustees met at the house 
of Mr. Jose Silva. *Tt was moved that the Rev. Mr. 
William O'Brien, the present pastor, be requested to 
take a voyage to old Spain in order to solicit donations 
and obtain contributions for the present relief and per- 
manent establishment of said church, to which, with 
the generous frankness familiar to himself, he 
agreed."* 

At the same meeting a letter of thanks was for- 
warded to the Hon. Don Diego de Gardoqui for his 
great interest in the church, with the request that he 
come to their assistance again, otherwise the "church 
will be finally lost to the present proprietors." 

The records of October 5th give in full the letter ad- 
dressed to Don Diego de Gardoqui, who was about to 
depart for Spain. The following extracts may be 
found interesting: 

"At a time when the liberties of our church were 
grossly infringed, and her sacred authority insulted, 
you, sir, came forward, the champion of her violated 
rights, and afforded a generous asylum to the pastor 
and his scattered flock in His Majesty's house." The 
letter concludes as follows : "We therefore most hum- 
bly entreat that you will please to represent our dis- 
tressed situation at His Majesty's throne, and petition 
for us his royal grant that our Vicar Apostolic may 
be enabled to depute a priest to quest alms for our 
church in the Island of Cuba, this being the only pos- 

* Records of St. Peter's, p. 24. 



EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 25 

sible means we can devise to save us and our infant 
church from total destruction." The letter was signed 
by the Rev. William O'Brien and Dominick Lynch in 
behalf of the trustees and the congregation of St. 
Peter's. 

At the same meeting it was ordered ''that Mr. Dom- 
inick Lynch, senior trustee, and in behalf of the con- 
gregation of St. Peter's Church, sign a bond in favor 
of Richard Harrison, attorney-at-law, for the sum of 
i88, lis, lOd, currency, payable in specie, with interest 
of 6 per cent, per annum, on the first day of September, 
1790, and the further sum of i88, lis, lOd, currency, 
with 6 per cent, per annum interest on the first day of 
September, 1791, being for amount of costs in defend- 
ing the rights of said church." A copy of the bond is 
found among the minutes. 

Under date of October 8, 1789, we find the reply 
of Don Diego de Gardoqui to the letter of appeal 
which he had received from the trustees of St. Peter's. 
The Spanish minister expressed his cordial apprecia- 
tion of the sentiments which the congregation of St. 
Peter's entertained for His Majesty, the King of 
Spain, and for his plenipotentiary, and gave assurances 
that as soon as he arrived at the court he would at 
once make known to the King the extreme poverty of 
the infant church in New York, and he sincerely hoped 
that means would be found to establish the true re- 
ligion in this country on a lasting basis. 

On November 2, 1789, the minutes of the meeting of 
trustees have these items of interest. It was ordered, 
"That a letter be written to St. John de Crevecoeur, one 
of the first trustees, reminding him of his subscription 
to St. Peter's Church, £10, in the year 1785. Secondly, 



26 EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 

it was ordered that a letter be written, or two memo- 
rials in the Spanish language, to the Spanish Governor 
and citizens of Havana and the Island of Cuba, setting 
forth the distressed situation of St. Peter's Church, 
and that the same will be inevitably lost to the Catholic 
congregation in the city of New York, unless charit- 
able and benevolent contributions are obtained for the 
relief of the same." Mr. Lynch proposed that each 
trustee advance the sum of $20, part of which was to 
be appropriated for the use of the Rev. Mr. O'Brien, 
to defray his unavoidable expenses (if any) on his 
intended voyage to Havana. The trustees subscribed 
the required amount, and Father O'Brien repaired to 
Havana with the two memorials written in Spanish. 

At the meeting of January 4, 1790, Mr. Morris 
requested that a collection be taken up to defray the 
''expenses of the passage of the Rev. Mr. Andrew 
Nugent to France in the packet Le Telemaque, now 
in this port, and advertised to sail this day," where- 
upon the following was read and adopted : 

"That the subscribers, actuated by pure motives of 
benevolence toward the Rev. Andrew Nugent, whose 
present distressed situation being represented to us by 
Mr. George Shea, we have thought proper to subscribe 
and pay the following sums to be solely appropriated 
for discharging the expense of his passage and other 
incidental charges attending his voyage to France in 
the packet Le Telemaque." The trustees subscribed 
among themselves the sum of £17. 

Under date of April 10, 1792, we find the following 
memorial addressed to Trinity Church corporation. 

The trustees of the church of St. Peter in the city 
of New York beg leave most respectfully to state the 



EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 27 

following facts: That encouraged by that spirit of 
liberality contained in the Constitution of this State 
(which has and must ever be the admiration of all 
who enjoy it), they were induced to erect a church to 
the honor of that Deity in whom all Christians con- 
fide, on lands belonging to your corporation. That at 
the time said church was erected the congregation 
were in united harmony and peace, but unfortunately 
certain differences that afterwards took place, and 
which we most sincerely lament, tended to depress and 
reduce our finances. That their said church has been 
compelled to borrow monies, both from the Bank of 
New York and individuals for its support, which 
money to a very considerable amount is still unpaid. 
That from these circumstances, the remembrance of 
which to us is painful, and which can not be pleasing 
for you to hear, we have been unable to discharge the 
ground rent, so justly your due, and having learned 
that the secretary of your corporation had received 
directions to commence suit for the recovery of the 
same, confident of your generosity, acquainted with 
your resources, and relying upon your charity, we 
are emboldened not only to pray for your interposi- 
tion, but to request your further benevolence. We 
earnestly solicit an abatement of the debt itself by 
arrears, and of our annual rent, in such proportion as 
your liberality shall suggest, and we will, tho' poor, 
endeavor to discharge it punctually, and as we in- 
crease in our temporalities, we shall with grateful 
hearts remember such relief as in our present dis- 
tressed circumstances we hope to experience from the 
corporation of Trinity Church. 

(Signed) Dominick Lynch, 

John Sullivan, 
Jose Silva, 
Thomas Stoughton, 
Andrew Morris. 



28 EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 

On November 20, 1792, at the usual meeting of the 
trustees, these measures were adopted: 

Resolved, That a second memorial be made out to 
the corporation of Trinity Church, stating the return 
of the Rev. Mr. William O'Brien to this city, on whose 
success in foreign ports, say Havana and Mexico, we 
placed great confidence, but to our sorrow found he 
has been greatly disappointed therein, and to such a 
degree that his collection does not amount to the pres- 
ent existing debts of the church. 

Resolved, That two or three able workmen, good 
master carpenters, be called upon as soon as possible, 
with verbal notification to meet them on Thursday, the 
22d, and Saturday, the 24th inst., November, 1792, in 
St. Peter's Church, at eleven o'clock in the morning 
of such days, there to take measurements in order to 
m.ake plans and estimate the cost of erecting the fol- 
lowing, observing to particularize the charge of each, 
vis. : 

1. For an altar and sanctuary. 

2. For a sacristy or vestryroom, 16x12 feet, and 9 

feet high, adjoining the church on the west. 

3. For new pews for lower floor and galleries. 

4. For galleries and organ loft. 

5. For taking up the present, sawing the plank 

whole length in equal halves, and relaying the 
floor. 

6. For a pulpit. 

7. For a portico with stairs to the galleries. 

8. For a steeple upon the plan of that of the new 

church in Newark. 

Agreeable to the foregoing resolution, Joseph New- 
ton, one of the master builders in this city, was notified 
to meet the following gentlemen in St. Peter's Church 



EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 29 

at 11 o'clock on Thursday morning, the 22d inst., No- 
vember, 1792: 

Rev. Mr. WilHam O'Brien, 
Mr. Dominick Lynch, 
Mr. Thomas Stoughton, 
Mr. Andrew Morris, 
Mr. Charles Neylon. 

Mr. Newton having met the foregoing gentlemen in 
the church, agreeable to appointment, where he took 
measurements, has since informed the Rev. Mr. 
O'Brien that he would not undertake the erecting of 
before mentioned by estimate, but that he would en- 
gage to accomplish the same by day's work. He has 
since informed Mr. Andrew Morris that the probable 
cost may be : 

For altar, pulpit and pews £500 

For portico and stairs £500 

For galleries £400 

For sacristy £300 

Which sums together make £1,700 

and he gives the opinion that the whole may be ac- 
complished for £2,000. 

On December 9, 1792, the following order was sent 
to Thomas Barry at Albany: 

The trustees of St. Peter's Church having resolved 
to make next spring as many improvements in that 
edifice as their funds will admit of, it is at their request 
we write to you, desiring you will purchase for their 
account on the best terms in your power : 

One thousand pine boards and one thousand five 
hundred white pine plank, which are intended to make 
the galleries and pews, but as they will require to be 
well seasoned before they can be fit to work up, you 
will be pleased to have them properly laid up after 
you have made the purchase, which is entirely left to 
your best judgment, as also your sending the same 



30 EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 

down to this city as early and cheap as you can in the 
spring. Their amount of cost and charges you can 
value on us for, and shall be duly paid. We are all 
endeavoring to lay in the materials necessary for a 
church of good quality, and as reasonable as possible. 
We are, with much regard, 

Lynch and Stoughton. 

Under date of May 24, 1793, we have the following: 
Joseph de Jaudenes and Joseph Ignatius de Viar, 
Philadelphia : 

We had the honor to address you the 18th of July 
last, as trustees of St. Peter's Church in this city, 
acknowledging, with grateful thanks, the receipt of 
$1,000, which the illustrious Bishop and the Cabildo of 
the city of Puebla de los Angeles had been pleased to 
send through your hands as a donation for the present 
urgencies and the use of the church. We have now 
to request, in behalf of said Catholic congregation, 
who always place the greatest confidence in your wish 
to promote their welfare, that you will do them the 
favor to convey their united sincere thanks to the 
Bishop and Cabildo for this temporal proof of their 
generous and charitable present, which has filled the 
hearts of the congregation with gratitude. The deed 
is committed to posterity for succeeding generations to 
learn and admire their benefactors, who in the hour 
of distress enabled them to raise and to secure a temple 
for the culture of divine service, and to the extension 
and honor of our holy religion. We mention with 
satisfaction and pleasure that from the beneficent con- 
tributions amounting to $4,920 (exclusive of the afore- 
said gift from the Bishop and Cabildo of Puebla de 
los Angeles), received through the hands of our 
worthy pastor, the Rev. Mr. William O'Brien, from 
His Catholic Majesty's faithful and loyal subjects, St. 
Peter's Church has been extricated from the danger 
which it was exposed to by the accumulation of heavy 
debts. The present urgencies of the church consist in 



EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 31 

the want of funds to defray the expenses of making an 
altar and pulpit, pews, galleries, and other indispen- 
sable conveniences, but having no revenue whatever, 
the contributions of the flock, although increasing in 
numbers, are generally poor and scarcely able to main- 
tain one clergyman. Therefore, to complete these nec- 
essary works, we are still compelled to solicit the aid 
and assistance of the benevolent and charitable, to con- 
clude what they have so far forwarded with distin- 
guished merit and religious piety. The estimates of 
cost amount to $10,000. The congregation feel a 
comfort in laying before you, gentlemen, their wants 
and situation, from a conviction of your kindness and 
protection, and that the information you will be pleased 
to give to the person who desired you to acquaint him 
of the particular exigencies of the church, will be con- 
veyed in the strongest terms and expressions, in order 
that the Bishop and Cabildo of Puebla de los Angeles 
may be satisfactorily informed of the true state of St. 
Peter's Church, their kind promise of further contrib- 
uting to the grateful congregation. We have no doubt 
of experiencing through your auspicious channel all 
necessary succor and support, and thereby add to the 
many favors already received. 

We are, with sentiments of great respect and sincere 
esteem, gentlemen. 

Your most obedient servants, 

DoMiNicK Lynch, 
Jose Roiz Silva, 
Thomas Stoughton, 
John Sullivan. 
On March 30, 1800, these resolutions were unani- 
mously passed : 

Resolved, That a free school for the education of 
children be and is hereby established, and that a proper 
master be chosen to superintend said school.* 

Secondly, that Messrs. Morris, Neylon, Heeney, and 

* The first public school was opened May 19, 1806. Bourne, History 
of Public School Society, p. 9. 



32 EARLIEST RECORDS OF ST. PETER'S 

the Rev. Dr. O'Brien be and are hereby charged for 
the due and immediate execution of the same. 

Again on the thirteenth of December, 1801, it was 

Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed 
to look out for a proper school-room and dwelling- 
house for the clergy, and report thereon before the 
first of February next. 

The minutes of October 17, 1809, give an insight 
into the relations existing between trustees and clergy : 

St. Peter's Church, 
New York, Oct. 17, 1809. 

At a full meeting of the trustees, consisting of the 
hereafter mentioned names, three letters wrote by Mr. 
William Gaynor to individual trustees were laid before 
the board, which being read with deliberation, and 
their contents duly considered : 

Represent to Mr. William Gaynor that the trustees, 
having no control over the spiritual functions of the 
clergy, their province being confined to the temporali- 
ties of the church only, they can not oblige the rev- 
erend clergy to attend funerals either in carriages or 
on foot. 

The trustees have never heard of any deficiency in 
the duty of the officiating clerg}^ of St. Peter's Church ; 
they are ready day and night to attend, and as far as 
they know, do strictly comply with the extensive du- 
ties required from them as pastors and divines of the 
Roman Catholic Church, and in the opinion of the 
trustees are worthy of being recommended individ- 
ually to the congregation by all its members. 

(Signed) Thomas Stoughton, 

Andrew Morris, 
Michael Roth, 

JOHX HlXTOX, 

James Walsh. 
N.B. — Mr. Patrick McKay was present but dis- 
sented from the above resolve. 



CHAPTER III. 

The Completion of St. Peter's. 

The Church completed by Father O'Brien. — 
Heroic Work of Clergy during Yellow Fever Rav- 
ages. — Mother Seton makes her Profession of 
Faith in St. Peter's. — Illness and Death of 
Father O'Brien. — Memorial to the Legislature. 
— Distinguished Laymen of St. Peter's Congrega- 
tion. — List of Pastors, Assistants, and Trustees. 

Father O'Brien was a zealous, tactful, capable pas- 
tor. At the request of the trustees he visited Mexico 
to collect funds for the church. The Archbishop of 
Mexico at this time was Don Alonzo Nufies de Haro, 
who had studied with Father O'Brien at Bologna in 
Italy, and now extended a hearty welcome to his 
former classmate. From the records of St. Peter's, 
Father O'Brien seems to have collected $4,920 in 
Mexico, and received a donation of $1,000 from the 
Bishop and Chapter of Puebla de los Angeles. With 
these funds he put in pews, erected the tower and pul- 
pit and portico, all being completed by 1794. He also 
procured some valuable paintings and other ornaments. 
Bishop Bayley has this note in his history, page 65 : 
"Mr. Velasquez informs me that the painting of the 
Crucifixion in St. Peter's was by Jose Maria Vallejo, 
a celebrated Mexican painter." While Father O'Brien 
was in Mexico, the congregation of St. Peter's was in 
charge of the Rev. Nicholas Burke,* who assisted there 
in 1789, 1791, and 1793. His residence is given in the 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 202. 



34 THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 

Catholic Directory as 41 Partition Street (now Fulton 
Street), between Broadway and the North River, and 
the Ordo for 1801 says of him: "Ohiit in itinere mer- 
sus fiumine, mense Fehraii, i8oo/' 

During the awful visitations of yellow fever in 1795, 
1798 and 1799, 1801 and 1805, Father O'Brien ren- 
dered heroic service to the victims. In 1798 three 
thousand succumbed to the dread disease, and of these 
one hundred belonged to St. Peter's flock. Hardie* 
bears this testimony of Father O'Brien and his com- 
panions, in the ravages of 1805 : "The three clergymen 
of the Romish Church, namely, the Rev. Dr. William 
O'Brien, the Rev. Dr. Alatthew O'Brien, and the Rev. 
Mr. Hurley,t were incessant in administering spiritual 
consolation to the sick of their congregation, nor did 
they in the discharge of this duty avoid the most filthy 
cellars or most infected places. Yet none of them was 
in the least infected with fever during the season." 

Father O'Brien was already breaking down under his 
arduous labors. In 1803, his brother, the Rev. Dr. Mat- 
thew O'Brien,? who had labored at Albany from 1798 
to 1800, was appointed to St. Peter's, where he re- 
mained until 1807. Dr. O'Brien was an eloquent 
preacher, and had published a volume of sermons in 
Ireland. In 1805 he received into the Church Mrs. 
Elizabeth Bayley Seton, who afterwards founded the 
Sisters of Charity in the United States. Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Seton belonged to one of the most distinguished 
famiHes of the country, and her conversion was a 
great sensation in those days. In the spring of 1805 
she made her profession of faith, received her first 

* History of New York. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 205. 

± Ibid., \ ol. I., p. 204. 



THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 35 

holy communion October 25th, and was confirmed in 
St. Peter's Church. A few years later she established 
the religious community of which her two sisters-in- 
law, the Misses Seton, and later two of her daughters, 
became members. She died in 1821, with such a repu- 
tation for sanctity that the process of her canonization 
has already been instituted in Rome. 

Father William O'Brien had also a reputation for 
learning, and had written a life of St. Paul, which was 
announced but never published. In 1800 the debt on 
the church amounted to $6,500, and the annual income 
from pew-rents and collections was about $1,500. The 
expenses, including interest, were about $1,400. How- 
ever, the congregation was increasing rapidly, and steps 
were soon taken to complete the church by erecting the 
steeple. An organ had been procured, a free or charity 
school was founded, and the Catholic body was already 
planning for the erection of a second church. In 1808, 
years and ill-health compelled Father O'Brien to relin- 
quish his charge. The trustees made provision for 
their devoted pastor, as we learn from the following 
record of January 22, 1810: 

The letter of the Rev. Mr. William O'Brien, dated 
December 15, 1809, addressed to Mr. Andrew Morris, 
our treasurer, having been presented and read, it was 
unanimously resolved that although the church has for 
some years past been deprived of the services of the 
Rev. Mr. William O'Brien, and obliged to have his 
former occupancy supplied by another clergyman, and 
that the funds of St. Peter's Church are inadequate to 
their wishes, they, out of regard and respect to the 
Rev. Mr. O'Brien, have resolved to allow him $500 per 
annum, the same sum they pay to the present active 
officiating clergymen that now serve the church. Or- 



36 THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 

dered that a copy of these resolves, signed by our sec- 
retary, be given to Mr. Idley to deHver to the Rev. Mr. 
William O'Brien. 

Signed by order of the Board, 

Michael Roth, 

Secretary. 

Father O'Brien labored under his infirmities until 
May 14, 1816, when he was called to his reward. He 
was a great loss to the Church in those days, not only 
because he was so successful in bringing order out of 
chaos in New York, but because he was also a val- 
uable assistant to the Prefect Apostolic, who sent him 
on most important and delicate missions. He was 
buried beside the church. The original monument 
erected over his remains has been inserted in the wall 
of the passage leading to the sacristy in the basement 
of the new church. A tablet bears this inscription : 
Under this humble turf 
Repose the mortal remains 

OF THE 

much to be regretted and once veneil\ble 

Pastor of St. Peter's, 

The Rev. WILLIAM V. O'BRIEN, 

Who departed this life on the 14th of May, 1816, 

Aged 75 Years. 

Who is there that has not heard of his piety, 

his benevolence, his charity, his zeal, 

during the ravages of the yellow 

fever in the memorable years 

of 1805 and 1808? 

Yes ! "I was sick and you visited Me." — Matt. xxv. 36. 

Reader ! Pass not by without offering up some short prayer 
for the benefit of his soul, for remember "It is a holy and 
wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be 
loosed from their sins." — 2 Mach. xii. 46. 
R. I. P. 



THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 37 

In 1806, the Catholics of New York, under the di- 
rection of the trustees of St. Peter's Church, addressed 
a memorial to the Legislature of the State of New 
York. It reads as follows : 

To THE Honorable the Legislature of the State 
OF New York, in Senate and Assembly Con- 
vened : 

The memorial of certain citizens resident in the 
city of New York professing the Roman Catholic re- 
ligion, respectfully represent: 

That your memorialists, who compose a considerable 
portion of the Catholic population of this city, while 
conscious of possessing sentiments of the purest and 
most steadfast allegiance and loyal attachment to the 
Constitution and Government of the United States in 
general, and of this State in particular, and of discharg- 
ing their social and civil duties with a fidelity inferior 
to that of no other class of their fellow citizens, feel 
with the deepest concern that they are deprived of the 
benefits of a free and equal participation of all the 
rights and privileges of citizens granted by the en- 
lightened framers of the Constitution of the United 
States (of which it forms one of the most amicable 
features), and by the third section of the Constitution 
of this State to all denominations of Christians, of what 
religious profession or worship soever, without dis- 
crimination or preference : in direct contradiction to 
this liberal principle, the form of oath prescribed to 
be taken previously on entering on any office, civil or 
military, in this State, by subjecting them to a religious 
test, to which their consciences are opposed, operates 
on them as an absolute disqualification ; less injurious 
to the feelings and degrading to the character of your 
memorialists would have been, if the Constitution had 
not by that section held up to their reasonable expecta- 
tions a fair participation of the advantages, as well as 
the burdens of citizenship; than to have the cup of 



38 THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 

equalized rights dashed from their lips by the subse- 
quent determination, and an invidious barrier, surmount- 
able only by perjury or apostasy, placed between them 
and those rights. Though yielding to none of their fellow 
citizens in attachment to the prosperity and independ- 
ence of the State, your memorialists can not persuade 
themselves that the framers of the Constitution in 
1777, or the revisers of the laws in 1801, intended that 
the form of oath above referred to should leave them 
and their descendants no alternative between a total 
exclusion from every office of honor, profit, or trust 
in the State, and a virtual abjuration of the religious 
principles of their forefathers and themselves ; they are 
willing (consistently with these principles), solemnly 
and without equivocation, or mental reservation, to 
swear : that they renounce and abjure all allegiance and 
subjection to every foreign power, howsoever titled, in 
all matters, not only civil, but also ecclesiastical, as far 
as they may interfere with or in the smallest degree 
affect the freedom, independence, or safety of the State, 
but, as the Bishop of Rome is the acknowledged 
Supreme Head of the profession of which they are 
members, they can not renounce and abjure all subjec- 
tion to the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church, as 
promulgated by him in matters purely and solely spir- 
itual, and which can not interfere with the civil or 
religious rights of their brethren of other denomina- 
tions, without a total dereliction of the religious princi- 
ples they profess, which inculcate an abhorrence of per- 
jury and other crimes and vices that can injure or dis- 
turb society. None of those States which adopt the 
liberal and just principles of the Constitution of the 
United States can exhibit an instance of any danger or 
inconvenience having resulted from the non-existence 
of the religious test. 

Your memorialists, relying on the justice of their 
claim to the unprejudiced liberality of this honorable 
Legislature, flatter themselves the obnoxious part of 



THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 39 

the law will be repealed, or that it may be modified or 
explained in a way that may be consonant to the spirit 
of this memorial, so that they and numerous other citi- 
zens of the same profession, resident in the various dis- 
tricts of the State, may have cause to unite with their 
fellow citizens in general, in self-gratulation for the 
unshackled enjoyment of the invaluable blessing of 
living under a liberal government and the influence of 
benign laws, exempt from the unjust and oppressive 
disqualifications on the score of religion which disfig- 
ure the politics of several of the European nations, and 
your memorialists will ever pray, etc. 

Signed at a general meeting of the Roman Catholics 
of the city of New York, convened 6th January, 1806. 

Andrew Morris, Chairman. 

John Byrne, Secretary. 

The records have the following note : "This petition 
had nearly one thousand three hundred subscribers in 
a few days." 

The records also give an extract from The American 
Citizen, February 12, 1806: 

"The subjoined petition of the Roman Catholic 
Church, which embraces a great number of very re- 
spectable citizens, is published to show that their claim 
which has recently been introduced in the Legislature 
with success, is just, and such as no man exempt from 
religious prejudice can object to. We congratulate the 
Church on the relief which has been granted. Religion 
is most prosperous when it is most free. In all coun- 
tries religious distinctions are odious, but in none are 
they more so than in this. Our city representation de- 
serve credit for the zeal and ability which they have 
manifested on this occasion." It was not until 1784 that 
the Legislature of the State of New York repealed the 
law of 1700, which condemned to perpetual imprison- 



40 THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 

ment any "Popish priest and Jesuits" found in the 
colony of New York. In 1777, when the Constitution 
was framed at Kingston, a clause was inserted com- 
pelling all those who desired to become naturalized 
citizens to take an oath of allegiance. On this occasion, 
the celebrated John Jay, afterwards Chief Justice of 
the United States, succeeded in inserting a special 
clause against Catholics, of whom he was ever an im.- 
placable enemy. According to this enactment, Catho- 
lics had '*to abjure and renounce all allegiance and sub- 
jection to all and every foreign king, prince, potentate 
and state, in all matters ecclesiastical and civil." 
Hence Catholics from foreign countries were excluded 
from the right of citizenship by the State Constitution 
of 1777. These clauses requiring the oath of allegiance 
as a condition of naturalization were annulled when 
Congress assumed the power of controlling the Natur- 
alization Laws. However, while these clauses were 
eliminated from the Naturalization Laws in this State, 
they remained in the official oath prescribed for those 
entering on public office, until abrogated as a conse- 
quence of the agitation begun by the trustees of St. 
Peter's Church in 1806, "on the occasion of Francis 
Cooper being elected a member of the Assembly from 
this city."* 

On Christmas Eve, 1806, a band of rioters sur- 
rounded the church, expecting to enter it during mid- 
night Mass and raise a disturbance. However, there 
was no Mass at midnight, and when the mob attempted 
violence they were driven away by members of the 
congregation. 

We can not close this sketch of old St. Peter's with- 

* Bayley, p. 53. 



THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 41 

out a tribute to the distinguished laymen'^ who rendered 
great services to the cause of reHgion in those days. 

Dominick Lynch held the highest place in commer- 
cial and social, as well as religious circles. Lynch and 
Stoughton were partners in business, and botli took a 
great interest in the building of St. Peter's. They were 
among the first trustees, and advanced the money to 
pay for the ground leased from Trinity Corporation. 
In 1790, when the Catholics of the United States pre- 
sented an address of congratulation to George Wash- 
ington on his election to the Presidency, Dominick 
Lynch was one of the four laymen who signed it. The 
Lynches were among the select three hundred invited 
to Washington's inauguration ball. Daniel Carroll, 
brother of Bishop Carroll, and a member of Congress, 
was sponsor for Margaret Lynch. 

His Excellency Didacus de Gardoqui was the god- 
father of Alexander Didacus Lynch. 

Dominick Lynch had twelve children, who contracted 
mixed marriages, and unfortunately nearly all aban- 
doned the faith of which their father was so distin- 
guished a champion. Dominick Lynch and his wife 
repose in the family vault under old St. Patrick's. 

Cornelius Heeney died a bachelor. He was asso- 
ciated with John Jacob Astor in the fur business, and 
amassed a considerable fortune. He donated about 
$60,000 to works of charity and religion, an immense 
sum in his day. Among his gifts to old St. Peter's 
were the pews and gallery fittings, recently removed. 
His greatest charity was the orphans. He gave $18,000 
to establish the orphan asylum in Prince Street,t and 

* T. F. Meehan, Historical Records and Studies, Vol. IV., p. 285. 
t These buildings now form part of St. Patrick's Parochial School. 



42 THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 

induced Mother Seton to take charge of it. Later he 
gave over some property adjoining the asylum. He 
built St. Patrick's Free School for Girls and a half- 
orphan asylum, and donated a lot adjacent to the 
graveyard. With Andrew Morris he took title to the 
property on which the present Cathedral stands. From 
1818 to 1822, he served in the Legislature as a member 
of Assembly. It is interesting to note that Mr. Heeney 
was the legal guardian and patron of John McCloskey, 
afterwards Archbishop of New York, and the first 
American Cardinal, and was instrumental in having 
him sent to Alt. St. Mary's, Emmittsburg. Cornelius 
Heeney spent almost his entire income in charity, and 
on May 10, 1845, had incorporated "The Trustees and 
Associates of the Brooklyn Benevolent Society," to 
perpetuate his benefactions to the poor. The income 
from his estate amounts to $25,000 a year, which, with 
the exception of five per cent, for administration ex- 
penses, is devoted to charity. Since his death, above 
one million dollars have been devoted to the relief of 
the poor. During the year ending March 1, 1906, the 
receipts were $26,039.05, and the expenditures for the 
Borough of Brooklyn, $22,655.18. He died May 3, 
1848, and was buried in the vault in the rear of St. 
Paul's Church, Brooklyn. His noble and fruitful life 
should be an incentive to the Catholic laity, by whom 
his name should be held in grateful remembrance. 

Andrew Morris was a soap maker. He was assist- 
ant alderman from the first ward from 1802 to 1806, 
and a member of the Assembly in 1816. He was a 
generous supporter of St. Peter's, to which he contrib- 
uted $1,000 on two occasions. 

Francis Cooper was an assemblyman in 1807, 1808, 



THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 43 

1809, 1815, and 1826. As agent of the trustees of St. 
Patrick's and St. Peter's Church, he purchased the 
ground on which the new Cathedral was built. 

Don Thomas Stoughton was the Spanish Consul. 
His wife was the sister of Dominick Lynch. 

Jose Roiz Silva was a wealthy Portuguese merchant, 
in whose family the Rev. Charles Whelan, the first 
resident pastor of St. Peter's, was chaplain. 

One relic remains of old St. Peter's, and still hangs 
under the roof of the church — the old bell which called 
the parishioners to Mass, though its tones have been 
silenced for many years. It bears the following in- 
scription : 

The Rev. William O'Brien, Rev. Matthew O'Brien, 
Pastors of St. Peter's Church, New York. Thomas 
Stoughton, John Sullivan, Cornelius Heeney, Michael 
Roth, Francis Cooper, John Byrne, Andrew Morris. 

CossE, Founder. 

Made under the inspection of Charles Sherry at 
Nantes, 30th of June, 1806. 

We must now take leave of old St. Peter's. Its 
course under Father Kohlmann was peaceful. We have 
seen the frail bark weather the storm of dissension and 
want, and emerge victorious at last ''per tot casus, per 
tot discrimina rerumf' It is significant that the first 
church in New York was dedicated to St. Peter "at 
the request of the congregation." That attachment to 
St. Peter has been handed down as a sacred inheritance 
from the mother church of the Diocese. When Pius 
IX. was abandoned by the powers of the Old World 
and robbed of his temporal power, when the organs of 
public opinion in America were maligning the Church, 



44 THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 

and sounding the death-knell of the Papacy, a fearless 
Archbishop of New York issued a protest which as- 
tounded both Europe and America, and the few Catho- 
lics in this See presented to the exiled Pontiff the mu- 
nificent sum of $53,000. How strong that attachment 
is to-day may be judged by the recent magnificent dem- 
onstration of loyalty to Pius X. in his conflict with the 
infidel usurpers of a once great Catholic nation. 

Pastors of St. Peter's Church, 1784 to 1815. 

The Rev. Charles Whelan, O.M.Cap., 1784 to 1786. 
The Rev. Andrew Nugent, O.M.Cap., 1786 to 1787. 
The Rev. William O'Brien, O.P., 1787 to 1807. 
The Rev. Nicholas Burke (acting rector), 1789 to 
1792. 

The Rev. Louis Sibourd, 1807 to 1808. 

The Rev. Anthony Kohlmann, S.J., 1808 to 1814. 

Assistant Priests of St. Peter's, 1785 to 1815. 

The Rev. John Connell, O.P., 1787. 
The Rev. Dr. Matthew O'Brien, O.P., 1803 to 1807. 
The Rev. Anthony McMahon, O.P., 1800. 
The Rev. John Bvrne, in 1804 and in 1808. 
The Very Rev. Michael Hurley, O.S.A., 1805 to 
1807. 

The Rev. Peter Vianney, 1804 to 1809. 

The Rev. Nicholas Zocchi, S.J., in 1810. 

The Rev. Dr. Caffrey, in 1805. 

The Rev. IMatthias Kelly, in 1806. 

The Rev. Benedict Fenwick, S.J., in 1808. 

Trustees of St. Peter's Church from 1785 to 1811. 

Hector St. John de George Barnewall, 

Crevecoeur, Dennis Doyle, 

Jose Roiz Silva, Patrick Wall. 

James Stewart, Dennis McCarty, 

Henry Duffin, John Kelly, 

Dominick Lynch, Cornelius Heeney, 



THE COMPLETION OF ST. PETER'S 



45 



Thomas Cavanagh, 
John Hogan, 
Andrew Morris, 
John Sullivan, 
Charles Neylon, 
William Mooney, 
Thomas Stoughton, 
Patrick Farrell, 
James Walsh, 



John 



Captain John O'Connor, 
Nicholas Duff, 
James Byrnes, 
Francis Cooper, 
Charles McCarthy, 
Michael Roth, 
John Byrne, 
Patrick McKay, 
John Hose, 
Hinton. 



PART II. 

The Old Cathedral of St. Patrick 

(1809=1879) 



CHAPTER I. 

Beginnings of the Old Cathedral. 

See of New York created April 8, 1808. — Right 
Rev. Richard L. Concanen, O.P., First Bishop. — 
Site of the old Cathedral. — Rev. Anthony Kohl- 
MANN, SJ., First Rector. — Plans for Building. — 
Corner-stone laid June 8, 1809. — Appeal for 
Funds. — Patrician Society founded January 22, 
1810. — Death of Bishop Concanen. — New York 
Literary Institution. 

Pope Pius VIL on April 8, 1808, erected Baltimore 
into an Archdiocese and created four Suffragan Sees 
at New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Bardstown. 
The new Diocese of New York comprised the State of 
New York and the eastern part of New Jersey. On 
the recommendation of the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. 
Troy, Pius VII. named as the first Bishop of this See 
the Rev. Richard Luke Concanen, an Irish Dominican, 
who had spent nearly all his life in the Eternal City, 
where he was highly esteemed as a great scholar and 
an able administrator.* 

For some time the increasing Catholic population 
had found the accommodations of St. Peter's inade- 
quate, and the recent erection of New York into an 
episcopal See inspired in the faithful a desire to wel- 
come their first Bishop in his own Cathedral. St. Pat- 
rick's, therefore, was destined to be the Cathedral of 
New York, and to meet tlie needs of those Catholics 
who had settled ''outside the city." Many leading 

* Bayley, p. 71. !Mgr. Lynch, Historical Records and Studies, 
Vol. II., p. 101. 



so BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 

Catholics cordially welcomed the project, especially as 
the Cathedral was to bear the name of Ireland's patron 
saint. Andrew Morris, Cornelius Heeney, Matthew 
Reid, and others, opened the subscriptions with gener- 
ous donations, and Father Kohlmann, a distinguished 
Jesuit, at once went in search of a suitable location.* 

Canal Street, then the northern limit of the city, 
was situated in the country amid the villas of the 
wealthy and the scattered dwellings of the humbler 
farmers. Two great thoroughfares, Broadway and 
the Bowery Road, ran up the island to the Stuyvesant 
Bouwerie, on the outskirts of the city; at a middle 
point between Broadway and the Bowery, amid wood- 
land hills and meadows, "so very close to the wilder- 
ness that foxes were frequent visitors," a site was 
selected for the Cathedral of St. Patrick. To the south, 
before coming to the lower part of the city, stood the 
Collect, a large pond of fresh water, with one outlet 
into the North River by Canal Street, and another into 
the East River near Roosevelt Street. The growth 
of the city northward was slow. In 1753, the site of 
Columbia College at Murray Street was described as 
being "in the suburbs of the capital." Even in the 
year 1800, the city did not extend far beyond the 
present post office, with the exception of a strip along 
the East River. Archbishop Bayley writes that in the 
year 1820, St. Patrick's Cathedral in Mulberry Street 
was so far in the fields and so surrounded by woods, 
that a fox w^as caught in the churchyard. f 

The zealous Jesuit, the Rev. Anthony Kohlmann, 
was the leading spirit in the movement to build the 

* The Jesuits have lately perpetuated his name by the establishment 
of Kohlmann Hall at 187th Street and Washington Heights, 
t Bayley, p. 68. 




OLD ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAJ-, IXtOTT ST. 
1808. 



BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 51 

Cathedral. Father Kohlmann arrived in America in 
1807, and was assigned as an assistant at St. Peter's, 
of which he became rector in 1808. Bishop Concanen 
was consecrated in Rome on April 24, 1808, by His 
Eminence Cardinal di Pietro. In June he proceeded 
to Leghorn, expecting to sail for America, but England 
and France were at war, all American vessels were 
sequestered by the French, and Bishop Concanen, as a 
British subject, was held under suspicion. The ven- 
erable Bishop saw no hope of an early departure, and 
empowered Archbishop Carroll to appoint an adminis- 
trator. Father Kohlmann was named, and continued 
to direct the affairs of the Diocese until 1814. In 1808 
he was joined by another famous Jesuit, the Rev. 
Benedict J. Fenwick, young, energetic, endowed with 
great learning and ability. Fathers Kohlmann and 
Fenwick labored unceasingly for the salvation of 
souls.* 

Under date of March 24, 1809, Father Kohlmann 
gives an idea of the spiritual condition of the faithful 
in this city. "This parish (St. Peter's) comprises 
about 16,000 Catholics, so neglected in all respects that 
it goes beyond conception." Some time later, he wrote 
as follows : "Communion-rail daily filled, though de- 
serted before; general confessions every day; three 
sermons in English, French, and German every Sun- 
day; three catechism classes every Sunday; Protest- 
ants every day instructed and received into the Church, 
etc."t 

On Easter Monday, 1809, these gentlemen were 
elected trustees: Dominick Lynch, Andrew Morris, 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., pp. 207-209. 

t DeCourcy, p. 366. Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 207. 



52 BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 

Thomas Stoughton, Michael Roth, Patrick McKay, 
John Hinton, James Walsh, Miles J. Clossey and Ber- 
nard Domin. At a meeting of the trustees, held in 
the vestry of St. Peter's Church, New York, May 
24, 1809: 

It was unanimously resolved that in consequence of 
the public notices from the altar, that with the great- 
est speed they would carry into effect the building of 
the contemplated new church on the burying-ground 
belonging to the corporation of St. Peter's Church, 
situated between Mott Street and Catherine Street; 
that the said church, which is to be denominated St. 
Patrick's, shall consist of the following dimensions : 
120 feet in length, 80 feet in width; that whereas the 
building of the foundation would interfere with sun- 
dry graves in the aforesaid burying-ground, it was 
resolved that Mr. Idley be instructed to have removed 
with all possible care, decency, and expedition, such 
graves as would be incommoded thereby, and have 
their contents deposited in fresh graves, with the 
assistance of the Rev. Mr. Kohlmann, and the rela- 
tives be invited to attend, if they pleased. 

Under date of May 26, 1809, the trustees under the 
presidency of the Rev. Mr. Kohlmann adopted the fol- 
lowing measures : 

Resolved, To employ Mr. Peter Morte, mason, as 
master builder and superintendent of the work and 
building of St. Patrick's Church, at the aforesaid 
wages of $2 per day, for such days as he may work, 
and be employed, at the option, however, of the trus- 
tees, to be discharged at their pleasure, whereupon the 
said Peter Morte, having appeared in person before 
the board, accepted the terms above specified and the 
conditions, promising to dedicate the whole of the day 
to the performance of his engagements, and to hold 
himself accountable to the trustees for any mistake 



BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 53 

that may be committed by the inaccuracy of the 
workmen employed by him. 

Resolved, To employ Patrick Mullany, mason, as 
assistant to Peter Morte, at the wages of fourteen 
shillings, per day, his services to commence when they 
may be required. 

Resolved, Unanimously to accept of the ofifer of Mr. 
Michael Roth as clerk for the superintendence in such 
points as may be requisite, and will be occasionally in- 
formed for the benefit of the building of St. Patrick's 
Church, which the trustees will remunerate him for at 
$2 per day. 

At a meeting held June 1st, it was resolved that the 
trustees provide a corner-stone for the building of St. 
Patrick's Church, with the following inscription: 

Anno Domini, 1809, 

Dedicated to St. Patrick, 

Apostle of Ireland. 

The corner-stone was laid on Thursday, June 8, 
1809, by the Very Rev. Anthony Kohlmann, Vicar 
General of the Diocese. Bishop Bayley* quotes this 
newspaper account of the event: "On Thursday af- 
ternoon was laid the corner-stone of the new Catholic 
church between the Broadway and Bowery Road. 
The stone was laid by the Rev. Mr. Kohlmann, rector 
of St. Peter's Church, and Vicar General of this Dio- 
cese, in the absence of the Right Rev.Dr.Concanen,the 
newly appointed Bishop for New York, whose arrival 
in the United States is expected daily, direct from 
Rome. The rector, with the assistant clergy, choir and 
the board of trustees, walked in solemn procession to 
the ground, where was delivered a suitable discourse. 
The ceremonies were concluded amidst a large and 

* Bayley, p. 73. 



54 BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 

respectable assemblage of citizens, exceeding 3,000. 
We understand that the church, which is to be a large 
one, on the suggestion of the Right Rev. Archbishop, 
Dr. Carroll, is to be called St. Patrick's."* 

Work began at once. On June 12, 1809, the trus- 
tees met and resolved : 

That the ground plan for the building of St. Pat- 
rick's Church, presented by Mr. Dennis Doyle, having 
been duly considered, the same has been approved of. 

Resolved, That Mr. Peter Morte be instructed that 
he will have the ground plan of Mr. Dennis Doyle for 
the building of St. Patrick's Church put into execu- 
tion, that he is enjoined not to receive any materials 
from any person whatsoever but of the first and best 
quality, and that he will not employ any man, be he 
whom he may, that he does not approve of, and who 
will faithfully comply with his obligation. 

It soon became evident that the money in hand was 
wholly insufficient for so great a task, and at the next 
meeting, July 3d, the trustees resolved to call upon the 
parishioners for special subscriptions. The appeal, as 
drawn up by Mr. Thomas Stoughton, will give the 
reader an idea of the spirit that animated those who 
laid the foundations of Catholicity in New York. 

Whereas^ the expenses of building and completing, 
fit for divine service, the new church dedicated to St. 
Patrick, must wholly depend on, and proceed from the 
voluntary donations and contributions of the generous 
benevolent, who are desirous as well for the promotion 
of religion, as for the better accommodation of the 
members of the Catholic congregation, to see that 
temple raised and finished as expeditiously as possible ; 
and 

* Cheatham's Republican Watch Tower, June 20, 1808. 



BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 55 

Whereas^ The undertaking of so spacious an edi- 
fice must be attended with very great expense, al- 
though erected with all possible economy, and the 
omission of useless exterior ornaments, which latter 
can prove of neither advancement to religion, nor con- 
venience to the members; it is 

Resolved, That the trustees of St. Peter's Church 
will respectively collect as many subscriptions as may 
be in their power, and persevere with their interest to 
influence the same laudable purposes with their friends 
and acquaintances ; and that every contributor may be 
convinced that the trustees do not covet, nor will they 
permit unnecessary expenses, to prevent the covering 
in of the church, it is agreed upon, after the considera- 
tion of the considerable expense which the raising of a 
steeple would amount to, and thereby prevent the fin- 
ishing of the church by an unnecessary and useless ap- 
pendage, neither adopted by the recent Roman Catholic 
church built in Philadelphia nor in those of other 
religious denominations in this city, to recede from any 
idea which, to the prejudice of contributions, has been 
held out, of making a costly foundation for the erect- 
ing, at a future period, a steeple to St. Patrick's 
Church, thereby procrastinating the building, absorb- 
ing the funds which may otherwise complete the 
church for the only end proposed of having divine ser- 
vice in same with greater expedition. 

On August 4, 1809, the trustees adopted the follow- 
ing measures: 

Whereas, The building of St. Patrick's Church has 
been considerably protracted for the want of a water 
table, which the stonecutters could not furnish with 
the expedition expected and agreed upon, in order to 
prevent equal disappointment in the plain cut and rus- 
tic stone, which will be now soon required, at the pro- 
posal of Mr. Peter Morte, the master mason, it has 
been resolved by the trustees that instead of confining 



56 BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 

the work and supply of such stone to one person, that 
the same be divided between two master stonecutters, 
to wit: Moses Miller, and McDonough & McGuire, 
and Mr. Morte is authorized to employ them respect- 
ively for as many of the rustic and other cut-stone, 
he will require for the present season, and to close 
with them at the prices stipulated by Moses Miller; 
and 

Whereas, It is the wish of the trustees to have all 
accounts paid up for materials for the building of St. 
Patrick's Church, to the completion of the water table, 
now nearly finished, and as the only account remain- 
ing unsettled is for stone received from time to time 
from Mr. Patrick McKay's quarry, which was of va- 
rious qualities, and avowing themselves not competent 
to set a value on them, it is 

Resolved, That Mr. Peter Morte, the master mason, 
be directed to give a certificate stating the value per 
load of the stone he received from Mr. McKay's 
quarry. 

Under date of August 11th, Mr. Morte presented this 
statement : 

Agreeable to directions from the board of trustees 
of St. Peter's Church to estimate or value the different 
description of stone I received at different times at St. 
Patrick's Church from Air. Patrick McKay's quarry, I 
have, after mature reflection on the subject, and hav- 
ing conscientiously considered between what was good 
and what was of an inferior description, concluded 
that on the total of what has been received, which 
amount to the number of six hundred and forty-five 
loads to this date, that 4s, 6d the load is a fair price 
for said stone. 

Given under my hand this 11th day of August, 
1809. Peter Morte. 

On January 22, 1810, the trustees 



BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 57 

Resolved unanimously, That the proposals for rais- 
ing a fund for completing the building of St. Patrick's 
Church in this city by one of the members of this board, 
be adopted. The object is to institute in this congre- 
gation a society to be called the Patrician Society, the 
entire proceeds of which will be applied solely to that 
desirable object. The intention is to introduce the 
numerous members of the Catholic congregation and 
have their names entered on the books of this society, 
each member engaging to pay monthly, expressly for 
the above objects, from one-quarter of a dollar upwards, 
each in proportion to his means and inclination — the 
names of such members to be carefully preserved on 
the church books, and to be prayed for to time imme- 
morial in said church. This great undertaking (so 
pleasing in the sight of Almighty God in every age 
of Christianity) of erecting a temple dedicated to His 
divine and sacred worship, is also most earnestly 
recommended to the female part of the congregation 
. (whose piety and zeal are every day becoming more 
conspicuous), for their support and patronage, and 
the parents of children, whose circumstances in life 
are prosperous and happy, and to induce Almighty 
God to continue to them and their offspring this so 
great a blessing, it is most earnestly recommended, as 
well for this great good, as also to give to the innocent 
young mind an early veneration for their holy religion, 
to enter their names in the Patrician Society, which 
would create in thefr gentle minds a holy emulation 
or pride to say, when they have attained the age of 
manhood, that they contributed even when at school 
to the building of St. Patrick's Church, by their par- 
ents having their names enrolled on the books for a 
certain sum monthly for its completion. It was mainly 
in this way that the great and good divine, so well- 
known all over Europe, the Rev. Father Arthur 
O'Leary, built the Catholic church of St. Patrick in 
London. From these conditions, and hoping Almighty 
God's blessing for it, the reverend clergy, with the 



58 BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 

trustees of St. Peter's Church, whose names are here- 
unto subscribed, do consider it their strict duty, in the 
strongest and warmest terms, to recommend the Cath- 
olic congregation to adopt and support the Patrician 
Society, and that those who are induced to subscribe 
by their piety thereto, will be pleased to pay punctually 
every month. 

(Signed) Michael Roth, Sec'y. 

Anthony Kohlmann, 
Benedict J. Fenwick, 
Thomas Stoughton, 
Andrew Morris, 
Michael Roth, 
John Hinton, 
James Walsh, 

Trustees. 

The trustees made every effort to complete the 
church, but the resources of their brethren seemed 
unequal to the undertaking. On September 7, 1810, a 
committee was appointed to prepare an appeal to the 
Corporation of Trinity Church. Andrew Morris, 
Thomas Stoughton, Fathers Kohlmann and Fenwick 
were the committee. We have no record of what reply 
was made to this appeal, but it is proper to acknowledge 
that the struggling mother church of the Diocese in 
subsequent years received substantial aid from the 
great Episcopal Corporation of Trinity. 

Under date of January 4, 1810, we have a report 
of expenditures made during the year 1809: 

The undersigned being a committee of the Board of 
Trustees of St. Peter's Church, appointed to examine 
and report on the accounts of expenditures of the 
building of St. Patrick's Church for the last year, re- 
port after mature investigation that there has been paid 
to the treasurer, Mr. Andrew Morris, through various 




PIUS VII 

FROM A PAINTING BY DAVID IN THE ARCHl 



ISHOPS HOUSE. 



BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 59 

subscriptions, the sum of $8,551.15, to the 4th of Jan- 
uary, 1810. He has paid to the same date $9,439.09. 

$9,439.09 
8,551.15 



Hence a balance is due our treasurer, Mr. 
Andrew Morris, of $887.94 

(Signed) Michael Roth, 

James Walsh. 

Under date of November 8, 1810, we have the fol- 
lowing financial report: 

We, the undersigned, a committee of trustees of 
St. Peter's Church, appointed to examine and report 
on the amount of receipts and disbursements of St. 
Patrick's Church from its commencement, report that 
we have carefully examined the books of said church, 
kept by Messrs. Morris and Roth, which we found 
perfectly correct, and on comparing the books, we 
found them to agree exactly. 

Amount expended in the year 1809 $ 9,439.09 

Amount expended in the year 1810 6,295.92 



Making a total of $15,735.01 

Amount of cash received to 

9th of October, 1810 $13,926.47 

Mr. Morris' second subscription 1,000.00 14,926.47 



Balance due Mr. Andrew Morris $ 808.54 

We find on examining Mr. Roth's books and 
accounts, that he is in advance in paying 
workmen $ 35.56 

And there appears due to Mr. Roth for his ser- 
vices up to the 7th of October last 188.27 



Balance due Mr. Roth $223.83 



60 BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 

We further report on examining the books of the 
Patrician Society that the sum of $1,095.75 has been 
received, which sum is included in the amount stated 
above, except a balance of $192.50, which remains in 
Mr. Roth's hands. 

(Signed) Dennis McCarthy, 

James Walsh. 

The building was retarded, not only by the lack of 
funds, but also by the sudden death of Bishop Con- 
canen. In the spring of 1810, Bishop Concanen left 
Rome for Naples, having secured a berth on the 
steamer Frances of Salem, which was scheduled to sail 
for America on Sunday, June 17th, but the French 
police pretended to find some flaw in the passport and 
would not allow the Bishop to board the vessel, which 
departed without him. Disheartened by this new dis- 
appointment, the venerable Bishop exclaimed : ''I may 
bid farewell to America forever. I pray you, my dear 
Abbe, to see that whatever regards my funeral and 
burial be done in a decent manner, so as not to dis- 
grace my rank and character."* 

That night he was stricken by a violent fever, the 
Last Sacraments werfe administered the next day by 
the Rev. John M. Lombardi, and on the nineteenth of 
June the venerable Bishop passed away.f His obsequies 
were held June 20th in the church of San Domenico 
Maggiore, and his body was deposited in its vault. 

As soon as the tidings reached New York, a solemn 
Requiem was celebrated in St. Peter's Church for the 
repose of the soul of the deceased Bishop. Father 
Kohlmann, October 12, 1810, wrote an account of the 
ceremony to Archbishop Carroll : ''The sanctuary, the 

* Smith. Vol. I., p. 40. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 103. 



BEGINNINGS OF THE OLD CATHEDRAL 61 

whole altar, all the curtains, were in black — a bier 
covered and surrounded by all the insignia of the 
episcopal dignity, such as the miter, crozier, etc. A 
High Mass, with deacon and subdeacon, accompanied 
with musical instruments, was celebrated, and a funeral 
sermon on the episcopal dignity delivered by Rev. Mr. 
Fenwick." 

Hostilities broke out between the United States and 
Great Britain. This checked emigration to our shores 
and brought distress throughout the country. Thus 
scarcity of money, the death of Bishop Concanen, the 
hard times produced by the war, all tended to arrest 
the construction of the Cathedral. Meanwhile, Father 
Kohlmann founded the New York Literary Institu- 
tion, which was attended by the sons of the best fami- 
lies. At first it was started in a rented house* opposite 
the site of the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Mulberry 
Street. The school had great success. It was removed 
to Broadway, and in March, 1810, Father Kohlmann 
bought as a new site for the college the territory now 
made into two blocks by the opening of Madison Ave- 
nue, and lying between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, 
Fiftieth and Fifty-first Streets, then directly opposite 
the Elgin Botanic Garden. The college was maintained 
with difficulty, and in 1814 the Jesuit Fathers closed it 
and withdrew from the Diocese. Among its Profes- 
sors was the distinguished writer on astronomy, Mr. 
James Wallace.f 

In 1811 the Very Rev. Administrator received the 
assistance of his brother. Rev. Paul Kohlmann, S.J., 
Rev. C. Woutters,$ and Rev. Peter A. Malou, S.J.§ 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. IV., p. 333. 
t Shea, Vol. III., n. l^.-^. 

J Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 39. 
§ Ibid., Vol. I., p. 210. 



CHAPTER II. 
The Completion of Old St. Patrick's. 

Right Rev. John Connolly, O.P., Second Bishop. 
— Dedication of Cathedral, May 4, 1815. — First 
Orphan Asylum. — St. Patrick's School opened 
1817.— School Report (1805-1824) St. Patrick's 
Christian Doctrine Society. — Separate Incorpora- 
tion, April 14, 1817. — Difficulties with Trustees. 
— Deeds Found and Registered. — First Ordination. 
— Death of Bishop Connolly. 

About September, 1814, Pope Pius VII. appointed 
another Irish Dominican, the Rev. John Connolly, 
Chief Prior of St. Clement's, Rome, to be the second 
Bishop of Xew York. He was consecrated on Novem- 
ber 6th, but nearly a year elapsed before he reached 
his See. Father Kohlmann was recalled and made 
Alaster of Novices in Maryland. Father Fenwick as- 
sumed charge of the Diocese, and made every effort 
to complete the Cathedral.* As no communication 
was received from Bishop Connolly, either by Arch- 
bishop Carroll or by Father Fenwick, the dedication 
was fixed for Ascension Day, May 4, 1815, and the 
Right Rev. John Cheverus, Bishop of Boston, was in- 
vited to perform the ceremony, the venerable Arch- 
bishop of Baltimore having been obliged to decline the 
invitation of the Catholics of New York. 

In a letter to Archbishop Carroll, Bishop Connolly 
refers to the notice of the dedication which appeared in 

* The old Cathedral was the first church dedicated to Ireland's patron 
saint in the United States. 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 63 

The New York Gazette. Catholics of to-day will find 
it very interesting reading. 

The new Catholic Cathedral in this city, which was 
begun in the year 1809, and lately so far completed as 
to be fit for divine service, was last Thursday, Ascen- 
sion Day, solemnly dedicated to God under the name 
of St. Patrick, by the Right Rev. Dr. Cheverus, Bishop 
of Boston. This grand and beautiful church, which 
may justly be considered one of the greatest orna- 
ments of our city, and inferior in point of elegance to 
none in the United States, is built in the Gothic style 
and executed agreeable to the design of Mr. Joseph 
Mangin, the celebrated architect of New York. It is 
one hundred and twenty feet long, eighty feet wide, and 
between seventy-five and eighty feet high. The su- 
perior elegance of the architecture, as well as the beauty 
of the interior, had for some months past excited a con- 
siderable degree of public curiosity, and crowds of citi- 
zens of all denominations daily flocked to it to admire 
its grandeur and magnificence, but on the day of its 
consecration the concourse was immense. Upwards 
of four thousand persons, consisting of the best fami- 
lies of New York, including the members of the Cor- 
poration, the present (John Ferguson) and former 
Mayors (De Witt Clinton), with many other officers 
of distinction, were able to find admittance within, 
but a far greater number for want of room were 
compelled reluctantly to remain without. The cere- 
mony of the dedication, with the solemn service of 
High Mass which followed, was long and im- 
pressive. 

The Right Rev. Consecrator, after the Gospel of the 
day was sung, delivered from the altar with his usual 
sprightly eloquence an appropriate address from the 
words of the forty-fifth, alias forty-sixth Psalm, eighth 
verse: *T have loved, O Lord, the beauty of Thy 
house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth," to his 
numerous and attentive audience. 



64 . COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

When we consider that at this period New York had 
constructed its City Hall, and Trinity Church was the 
most pretentious religious edifice erected by any de- 
nomination, the Cathedral in Mulberry Street is a 
magnificent monument to the noble aspirations, the 
liberality, and the perseverance of our pioneer Catho- 
lics, who were comparatively so few in number and 
so limited in resources. Bishop Plessis was in New 
York in September, 1815, and describes the new 
Cathedral as "at the extremity of the city toward the 
country." 'It has already cost $90,000, but as yet 
has no steeple or sacristy or enclosure or annexed 
buildings. Besides, there is no roof casing or penciled 
joints, although the very ordinary stone of which it is 
built requires both. To make up for this, the interior 
is magnificent. Its tall clustered columns on each 
side, dividing the whole body of the church into three 
naves, surmounted by Gothic arches, form a sight all 
the more imposing, as the painter has designed on the 
flat rear wall terminating the edifice behind the altar, 
a continuation of these arches and columns, that form 
a distant perspective and produce a vivid illusion on 
strangers not warned in advance, giving them at first 
the impression that the altar stands midway in the 
length of the church, when in reality it touches the 
wall. The effect produced by this perspective makes 
this church pass for the finest in the United States. It 
is also remarkable for the size of the windows, the 
elegance of the two galleries, one above the other ; a 
symmetrical staircase leading to the organ over the 
main entrance. The pews occupying the nave leave 
three spacious walls, and are capped all around with 
mahogany. It is intended to be the Bishop's Cathe- 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 65 

dral, but the sanctuary is not at all adapted for placing 
his throne or for the performance of episcopal func- 
tions."* 

Thirteen years later a guide-book spoke of the 
Cathedral as the largest religious edifice in the city, 
adding that it is built ''of stone in massive style, the 
walls being several feet in thickness, the roof rising in 
a sharp angle to a height of more than one hundred 
feet and forming with the tower a most conspicuous 
object in approaching the city from the east. The front 
of the building is faced with hewn brown stone; and 
several niches are left open for statues that are to be 
placed. When completed, it will be the most impres- 
sive looking edifice in this city." 

The effect on those outside the Church was consider- 
able. For the first time non-Catholics began to realize 
the grandeur of the Catholic Church, the sublimity of 
her art, the beauty of her ritual, above all the noble 
faith, lofty sentiment, and self-sacrificing spirit of her 
children, who could erect a temple under difficulties so 
overwhelming. On May 15, 1815, the pews were of- 
fered for sale ; of one hundred and ninety-five, seventy- 
seven were sold for $37,500. Those nearest to the 
altar and pulpit brought $1,000 each. Bishop Connolly 
arrived at New York in the ship Sally from Dublin, on 
November 24, 1815, after a stormy voyage of sixty- 
eight days. That day he took possession of his Cathe- 
dral, the finest church in the city, and unequaled in the 
whole country. Here, for more than sixty years, stood 
the seat of the spiritual ruler of the Diocese. Here 
priests were ordained for the service of the altar ; here 
Bishops were consecrated, the pallium was conferred : 

* Shea, Vol. III., p. 170-171. 



66 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

here Diocesan Synods, Provincial Councils were held, 
and here the scarlet biretta was presented to the ven- 
erable Cardinal McCloskey. The Diocese, embracing 
the State of New York and part of New Jersey, had 
only four priests. Fathers Kohlmann, Fenwick, and 
Malou, Jesuits, and the Rev. Thomas Carbry, a Do- 
minican.* There were but three churches, two in New 
York and one in Albany, accommodating thirteen thou- 
sand Catholics. Even in 1823, only four priests had 
been added to this number, making a total of eight for 
the entire State. The first pastor of the Cathedral was 
the Rev. Michael 0'Gorman,t who is said to have been 
the first priest ordained in St. Patrick's. However, 
Mr. Shea and other historians consider it more prob- 
able that Father O'Gorman was ordained in Ireland 
shortly before he accompanied Bishop Connolly to this 
country. In April, 1816, the New York Roman Catho- 
lic Benevolent Society was begun by a few individuals, 
for the purpose of providing for the orphans. The 
members held monthly meetings and subscribed three 
dollars a year. On December 26, 1816, a collection 
was taken up in the Cathedral for the benefit of the 
orphans, and this gradually led to the custom estab- 
lished by Bishop Hughes of giving to the orphans 
the collections made in all the churches of the city on 
Christmas and Easter. A small frame building on 
Prince Street was secured, and in June, 1817, three 
Sisters of Charityf from Mother Seton's community in 
Emmittsburg opened the first orphanage in this Diocese. 
These Sisters were Sisters Rose White, Cecilia O'Con- 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 38. 

t Ibid., Vol. II., p. 36. 

J Mother Seton's Sisters opened free schools long in advance of the 

Sublic school system. They conducted such schools in Philadelphia, 
Tew York, Boston, and several other places at a very early date. 



Vice-Presidents, 



Assistant Secretaries.* 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 67 

way, and Felicite Brady. Mme. Malibran, the famous 
singer, gave a concert in aid of the asylum. The Benev- 
olent Society was incorporated by the State Legisla- 
ture in 1817. The officers for the year 1817 were the 
following : 

S. P. Lemoine, President, 

John Brennan, 

J. B. Dasege, 

Charles Delvecchio, 

Mark Desalrayd, Secretary, 

John O'Connor, 

Hugh Sweeney, 
During the first year, only five orphans were re- 
ceived, but in the following year the number increased 
to twenty-eight. f The original frame structure soon 
becoming inadequate, additional ground was purchased 
on Prince Street, and a brick building was started. 
Later on, the large buildings on Fifth and Madison 
Avenues and Fifty-first Street were constructed. These, 
too, have disappeared, and the orphans are now in- 
stalled in the new beautiful asylums at Kingsbridge. 

In 1817, St. Patrick's Charity or Free School was 
opened in the basement of the church toward Mott 
Street, where it continued for some years. The school 
was in charge of the priests, among them Father 
Urquhart and Levins, who were assisted by lay teach- 
ers. On Sunday they were aided by a few pious men 
who taught Christian Doctrine to working boys and to 
those attending other schools. The old basement, be- 
fore the church was extended, was not half as large 
as the present one, and soon became insufficient to 

* Bayley, p. 181. 

t Shea, Vol. III., p. 180. 



68 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

accommodate the increasing number of pupils. In 
1837 a new two-story brick building was constructed 
on the site now occupied by the Christian Brothers' 
School, erected in 1862, in Mulberry Street. The boys, 
under Michael O'Donnell, were on the first floor, and 
the girls, in charge of the Sisters of Charity, on the 
second floor. The school was supported by collections 
taken up in the churches and by a share of the State 
School Fund, which at that time was divided between 
the various denominational schools and those estab- 
lished by the Public School Society for the children of 
parents professing no religion. It is to the great credit 
of the priests and people of those early days that they 
fully realized the supreme importance of Catholic edu- 
cation, and manifested a great interest in everything 
that concerned the free schools. Among the minutes 
of the meeting held by the trustees of St. Peter's 
Church on May 2, 1820, we find the following report: 

James J. McDonnell reported from the committee 
appointed to visit the free school, that they have visited 
the free school several successive mornings to witness 
the giving of lessons according to the Lancasterian 
System of Mr. Langin, the present teacher, that they 
are completely satisfied with his conduct, with the prog- 
ress of the children under his care, and believe him 
fully competent and extremely attentive to his 
situation. 

Again, on July 5, 1820, this resolution was passed: 

Resolved, That Cornelius Heeney, treasurer of this 
Society, be and is hereby empowered to sign such in- 
structions in writing and aflix the seal of this board 
thereto, as shall be necessary for and on behalf of this 
board, to demand and receive that portion of the fund 
appropriated by the laws of this State for the support 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 69 

of free schools, to which the free school attached to 
St. Peter's Church is entitled. 

On April 16, 1821, we find this report among the 
minutes of the board of trustees of St. Patrick's 
Cathedral : 

The committee appointed on the 2d of January last 
to examine accounts of Garret Byron, one of the Build- 
ing Committee and Superintendent of Works done in 
erecting the free school attached to St. Patrick's Cathe- 
dral, report that they have examined the accounts of 
expenditures on such building kept by Mr. G. Byron 
and the vouchers in his possession for payments made 
by him, and charged in said accounts, and find them 
regular and satisfactory, and perfectly correct; by 
which accounts it appears that the amount of disburse- 
ments made by him, which were the whole cost of that 

building, amounted to the sum of $3,314.94 

The amount of payments made to him by 

Messrs. Cooper and Heeney 3,307.49 

Leaving a balance due to him of $7.45 

Under date of January 4, 1824, we have a copy 
of a report sent to the Superintendent of Schools. 

To John V. N. Yates, Esq., 

Superintendent of Common Schools. 

New York, Jan. 4, 1824. 
Sir: 

The trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. 
Peter's Church have received your letter of the 5th of 
May last, requesting such information as they possessed 
relative to the free schools attached to those churches, 
on the several subjects embraced in the resolution of 
the Assembly of this State, of the 25th of February, 
1823, a copy of which resolution is annexed to your 
letter. In compliance with your wish, they now re- 
spectively state that the free school attached to St. 



70 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

Peter's Church was built in the year 1803.* The lease 
of the lot on which it stands was purchased in the same 
year for £860 currency, and the expense of erecting the 
building was i 1,000 currency, both which sums, making 
together i 1,860 currency, or $4,650, were paid from 
private donations or legacies left for that purpose. That 
the school attached to St. Patrick's Cathedral and that 
attached to St. Peter's Church were both under one de- 
nomination, that of St. Peter's Church, until the year 
1817, when the congregations of those churches were 
separately incorporated, and the information which we 
now give comprises both schools under the denomina- 
tion of the free school attached to St. Peter's Church, 
until the above-mentioned year, 1817, from which 
period the accounts are distinct and separate. They 
further respectively state that an Act of the Legisla- 
ture of this State, passed 26th of ]\Iarch, 1806, directed 
the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commonalty of the city of 
New York to pay to the trustees of the Roman Catho- 
lic congregation in Xew York the like sum as w^as paid 
to the other congregations respectively, by virtue of an 
Act, entitled: "An Act directing Certain Moneys to 
be Applied to the Use of the Free Schools in the City 
of New York," and that under the authority of said 
Act, the trustees of St. Peter's Church received from 
the Corporation of this city on the 5th of May, 1806, 
the sum of $1,565.78. This was the first aid the free 
school of St. Peter's Church obtained from public 
funds, and from that period until the year 1814 they 
did not receive any portion of the school fund, and 
not having from the year 1805, the period from which 
the information you require is to commence, until the 
year 1814, made any returns or kept any account of the 
number of scholars, they can not for these nine years 
give the particulars required accurately, and have there- 
fore in the enclosed account given an average for that 
term, . from the best information they could collect. 
From the year 1814, when they commenced receiv- 

* From 1800 until 1803 rooms were hired for school purposes. 




>^FT£R TH5 PORTRAIT IN ARCH BISHOP'S .-. CUSS \£VVYORK 




onrvin 




COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 71 

ing regularly a portion of the school fund, the account 
presented is accurate, and we believe will be found to 
agree with the records kept by the Commissioner of 
the school fund. The building in which the school at- 
tached to St. Patrick's Cathedral is now kept was 
erected in the year 1819. The upper floor is appro- 
priated to the purposes of the church and the basement 
story to those of the free school. The estimated pro- 
portion of the latter is $3,200, which was paid from the 
proceeds of a sermon preached for the benefit of that 
school, from a legacy left to said school, and from the 
funds of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The average ex- 
pense of educating each scholar at the free school at- 
tached to St. Peter's Church was $3.70 >^. The aver- 
age expense of educating each scholar at St. Patrick's 
Cathedral was $3.02^4. 

Referring to the enclosed statement, we remain, with 
respect. 

Your obedient servants, 
The Boards of Trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral and 
St. Peter's Church, 

James J. McDonnell, 

Secretary. 

STATEMENT 

of the number of scholars, salaries paid to teachers, extra 
expenses and public moneys received in and for the free school 
attached to St. Peter's Church and St. Patrick's Cathedral in 
the State of New York from the year 1805 to the year 1823. 

St. Peter's Church Free School. 

No. of Salaries Extra Public _ 

Year Scholars to Teachers Expenses Money Received 

1805 500 $1,600 $400 00 

Eight 
years 
to 1813 
averaged 
as 1805 

1814 486 1,600 400 1,861.73 

1815 500 1,600 400 1,840.00 

1816 516 1,600 400 1,816.32 

1817 344 800 200 1,124.88 



.4,000 12,800 3,200 $1,565.78 



72 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 





No. of 


Salaries 


Extra 


Public 


Year 


Scholars 


to Teachers 


Expenses 


Money Received 


1818.. 


.... 361..., 


... $800... 


...$200... 


....$1,072.71 


1819.. 


.... 350.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 


. ... 1,007.12 


1820.. 


.... 356.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 


.... 1,059.99 


1821.. 


.... 328.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 


. . . . 731.44 


1822.. 


.... 316.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 


. . . . 619.36 


1823.. 


.... 311.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 
$6,200 


. . . . 510.04 




8,368 


$24,800 


$13,209.37 




St. Patrick 


.'s Cathedral Free School. 




No. of 


Salaries 


Extra 


Public 


Year 


Scholars 


to Teachers 


Expenses 


Money Received 


1817.. 


.... 243.... 


.. $800... 


...$200... 


$794.61 


1818.. 


.... 275.... 


.. 800... 


. .. 200... 


817.16 


1819.. 


.... 306.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 


880.51 


1820.. 


.... 359.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 


1,068.92 


1821.. 


.... 371.... 


.. 800... 


. .. 200... 


827.33 


1822.. 


.... 345.... 


.. 800... 


... 200... 


676.20 


1823.. 


.... 417.... 


.. 800..., 


... 200... 


683.88 



2,316 $5,600 $1,400 $5,748.61 

On March 19, 1824, the trustees 

Resolved, That a letter be written to Mr. John Morse, 
one of the delegation of this city, to use his influence 
with the other members to prevent the passing of any 
law respecting the free school, which may affect the 
schools attached to those churches (St. Patrick's and 
St. Peter's). 

The following is a copy of the memorial addressed to 
Mr. Morse: 

New York, March 20, 1824. 
To John Morse, Esq., 
Sir: 
The trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. 
Peter's Church, charged with the care of the free 
schools attached to those churches, beg leave to re- 
quest your attention and that of the other members of 
the delegation from the city of New York to the Legis- 
lature of this State, on the subject of the measures now 
in progress for a change in the law regulating the dis- 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 73 

tribution of the school fund. From a report made 
by the committee to the House of Assembly, appre- 
hensions are entertained that there is a project on for 
withdrawing from the schools under the directions of 
the religious societies, that aid which they have been 
accustomed to receive from the common school fund. 
This measure, they consider, will be neither liberal 
nor politic. Children who are made to commence their 
daily exercises by prayer are not likely from that cir- 
cumstance to be worse citizens than those who do not 
follow that practice, nor receive any religious instruc- 
tion, and it would be strange indeed to discriminate 
between those descriptions, and disqualify the former. 
Should such a measure pass into a law, the religious 
societies, it is believed, will be obliged to reduce the 
salaries of their teachers so low that persons well 
qualified will not accept those situations, and they must 
employ persons less capable. They therefore request 
that the delegation of this city, whom they are proud 
to consider as their representatives, shall oppose any 
change in the law respecting the school fund, to the 
prejudice of the schools under their care, and that if 
such a measure should be proposed, sufficient time shall 
be given to all the parties interested to apply to the 
Legislature on the subject. 

Signed by order of the boards of trustees of St. 
Patrick's Cathedral and St. Peter's Church. 

James J. McDonnell, 

Secretary. 

On April 19, 1824, the trustees instructed the treas- 
urer to "pay the Rev. Mr. Power the sum of $100 for 
and in consideration of his expenses in going to Albany 
on the affairs of the free schools.'' 

On May 3, 1826, on the recommendation of the Rev. 
Dr. Power, a small fee was charged for tuition. 

From a report of Mr. John Costigan, the teacher 
of the boys' department, it appears that in August, 



74 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

1828, there were eighty pupils, and in 1830 the number 
had increased to two hundred and thirty. The chil- 
dren were American, Irish, English, Scotch, French, 
Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, and South 
American. 

In 1842 there were three hundred pupils in the boys' 
department alone. It is worth recording that a few 
devout laymen, who taught Christian Doctrine in the 
basement of St. Patrick's, organized the St. Patrick's 
Christian Doctrine Society, with Mr. McDonnell as 
the Superintendent of the Sunday-school, and Presi- 
dent of the Society. Mr. O'Hanlon succeeded Mr. 
McDonnell, but soon made way for John Drumgoole, 
who subsequently as Father Drumgoole founded the 
Mission of the Immaculate Virgin for destitute chil- 
dren, and erected the splendid buildings at Mount Lo- 
retto and Lafayette Place. His memory is held sacred 
by the Catholics of New York. Under his zealous ad- 
ministration, the Sunday-school attendance advanced 
to three hundred and fifty. The Christian Doctrine 
Society not only provided suitable instruction for chil- 
dren and adults, but it established a night school for 
the education of immigrants in elementary subjects, 
and acted as a St. Vincent de Paul Society in furnish- 
ing clothes and food for the needy.* 

Until 1817, St. Patrick's Cathedral was under the 
management of the board of trustees of St. Peter's. 
On April 11th of that year, the boards were separated, 
the corporate title of St. Peter's becoming ''The Trus- 
tees of St. Peter's Church in the City of New York." 

The board consisted of nine lay trustees with the 
Bishop of the Diocese as the President ex-oificio. The 

* The Seminary, p. 126. 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 75 

trustees were elected annually from among the pew- 
holders. On Easter Monday (notice of the annual 
election being given during divine service on the three 
Sundays preceding), each year three trustees went 
out of office, and three others were elected to fill the 
vacancies. The corporation could not sell any real 
estate without previous permission of the Chancellor 
of the State. 

Here it will be useful to sum up the different changes 
made in the incorporation of St. Peter's and St. Pat- 
rick's. St. Peter's was first incorporated by itself 
June 10, 1785, under the title "Trustees of the Roman 
Catholic Church in the City of New York." April 23, 
1787, ''Trustees for the Roman Catholic Congregation 
of St. Peter's Church in the City of New York in 
America." By the general law of April 5, 1813, St. 
Peter's and St. Patrick's were incorporated conjointly. 
Finally, they were incorporated separately by the Act 
of 1817, St. Peter's on April 11th,* and St. Patrick's 
on April Hth.f 

This separate incorporation was precipitated by the 
difficulties that arose between Bishop Connolly and the 
trustees. On November 14, 1817, the trustees had 
decided to accept the services of the Rev. William 
Taylor,^ and voted £60 to pay his transportation to 
New York. He arrived in June, 1818, being pre- 
ceded by the Rev. Charles D. Ffrench, who came in 
January. § These clergymen took the places of the two 
able Jesuit Fathers, Kohlmann|| and Fenwick, who 

* Laws 1817, Ch. CCV.. p. 238. 

tLaws 1817, Ch. CCXXXIX., p. 275. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. I., p. 215. 

§ Thid., Vol. TT.. p. 40. 

1 1 Father Kohlmann, while pastor of St. Peter's, baptized John Mc- 
Closkey, afterwards Cardinal Archbishop of New York, and later in 
Rome, until his death, acted as Father McCloskey's spiritual director. 



76 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

were withdrawn by their superior in 1817. Bishop 
Connolly, though in his sixty-seventh year, had to per- 
form all the duties of a parish priest. He was most 
zealous in hearing confessions, in attending the sick, 
and sang High Mass every Sunday, without miter 
or crozier.* 

To these obstacles was added the opposition of the 
trustees, who refused to support the two churches, 
withdrew the salary of the clergy, and at times threat- 
ened to withhold that of the Bishop. Bishop Connolly 
brought about a separate incorporation of the two 
churches, and succeeded in getting trustees of his own 
choice to manage the Cathedral. An effort was then 
made to get control of St. Peter's. x\s a result, the 
clergy and faithful were divided into two parties, one 
comprising the Bishop, with Fathers Ffrench and Car- 
bry, the other led by Fathers Taylor and Malou. The 
subsequent meetings of the trustees became very 
stormy. At the elections held in March, 1818, four 
policemen were summoned to preserve order. Matters 
reached a crisis in April, 1819, when Father Ffrench 
attended a meeting of the board, took the chair forci- 
bly, and gave the trustees "s. piece of his mind." The 
trustees ordered the Bishop to suspend Father Ffrench, 
which he refused to do. The trustees appealed to 
Archbishop Marechal, of Baltimore, who declined to 
take any action. Father Taylor was dispatched to 
Rome to bring the matter before the Propaganda. The 
contest ended with a victory for Bishop Connolly. 

The minutes of St. Peter's and St. Patrick's 
churches reveal the various stages in the development 
of trusteeism, which was eventually crushed by the 

* Bayley, p. 84. 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 77 

great Bishop Hughes. We have already noted that the 
trustees claimed the right to choose their own pastors 
and insisted that the ecclesiastical authorities approve 
their selection. For them the standard of priestly ex- 
cellence was ability to preach and thus increase the rev- 
enue of the church, by drawing large congregations. 
On April 11, 1820, the trustees resolved that no "ad- 
vertisements should be placed on the doors or any 
other part of either of the churches, unless authorized 
and directed by their respective board of trustees, or 
by the Right Rev, Bishop Connolly for the spiritual 
affairs." 

On June 6th of the same year, the board resolved : 
"That for the purpose of terminating the engagement 
of the Rev. Mr. Malou as the officiating clergyman 
in St. Peter's, that a joint meeting of this board and 
that of St. Patrick's Cathedral shall be requested." 
The boards met, and named a committee to inform the 
Rev. Mr. Malou that his services were no longer re- 
quired in St. Peter's Church, and discontinued his 
salary. On the other hand, there is abundant evidence 
that the trustees were a zealous set of men, and acted, 
as a rule, from good motives. It must be borne in 
mind that it was no easy task in those days to secure 
sufficient revenue to support the churches, the clergy, 
and the schools. The trustees appointed committees 
to stand in the porches of the churches on Sundays 
and solicit donations. Besides, the clergy made a house 
to house collection in the various wards of the city, and 
in each ward a committee of three was appointed to ac- 
company them and aid in securing funds. On June 23, 
1820, the joint boards of trustees issued the following 
appeal to the Catholics of New York. 



78 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

To THE Roman Catholic inhabitants of the city 
OF New York : 
The trustees appointed by you to manage the tem- 
poral concerns of St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. 
Peter's Church, feel themselves under the necessity of 
addressing you in this early stage of their administra- 
tion on the subject of their finances. It is already well 
known to you that a heavy debt has been incurred, 
for the payment of which both churches are equally 
bound. The interest paid on the debt annually absorbs 
a considerable portion of the income. The actual 
amount of the debt at this time is $45,000. The in- 
terest to be provided for within the year amounts to 
the sum of $3,150. This money, with the salaries 
agreed to be paid the officiating clergy, would nearly 
equal the amount of the church revenues in the most 
favorable seasons. That on which we have entered 
unfortunately promises to be one of a directly con- 
trary character, for the same causes which lower the 
prices of the produce of our country, and the rent of 
houses, has affected the sales of pews in St. Peter's 
Church. That excitement which arose to its height at 
the period of our last election, still unfortunately con- 
tinues, and under its influence a considerable majority 
of those persons who were then opposed to the return 
of the present acting trustees have withheld, and still 
continue to withhold, the amounts respectively due by 
them. Whilst thus its income is decreased, an expense 
must be incurred by your trustees, but unavoidable, 
which they deem it their duty to state to you. Some 
of the sashes and window-frames over the approach 
of St. Peter's Church are decayed and falling to pieces, 
owing to the neglect of keeping them glazed and 
painted. These must be replaced by new ones, and to 
preserve the sashes and frames which still remain sound, 
they and all the external work of the building must of 
necessity be painted this season. The paling that en- 
closes the burying-ground of this church, always in- 
sufficient to resist the pressure of the high banks that 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 79 

fall on it from within, is also in many parts decayed 
and projected into the street, suffering the earth prob- 
ably formed from the decomposition of human bodies 
to be exposed to public view. Decency, and the re- 
spect that is due to the memory of the persons buried 
in that ground, dictate the propriety of replacing the 
defective part in Barclay Street between the church 
and the free school with solid masonry, which it is 
purposed will be effected this year. Thus with in- 
creased expenses and diminished means, that object 
which so deeply interests us all, of diminishing the 
amount of the debt due by the churches can not be ef- 
fected, to any extent, from its ordinary revenues. The 
interest of the debt our funds are amply sufficient to 
pay, and we are bound to give that precedence over all 
other demands, by every consideration that can influ- 
ence religious and honorable men. The support of the 
clergy they also trust they shall be able to provide for. 
If your aid were necessary for that purpose, knowing 
the affection and respect you bear them, your trustees 
could not suffer themselves to doubt for a moment that 
you would cheerfully come forward and contribute, to 
afford them that support which they have been prom- 
ised, and which they have the right to expect as your 
pastors. To relieve the churches from the perpetually 
recurring embarrassment occasioned by the magnitude 
of this debt, can only be effected by lessening its 
amount, and this requires your hearty cooperation, to 
obtain which your trustees have thought it their duty to 
make this statement. They have appointed a commit- 
tee to accompany one of the reverend clergymen to call 
on you individually for such aid as your circumstances 
and your zeal will induce you to afford, and they call 
on you their brethren and their constituents, they ear- 
nestly and solemnly call on you, to come forward and 
afford your assistance, not with an apathy nor with a 
coldness of indifference, but with a warmth of human 
devotion to the interests of the holy religion they pro- 
fess, and the energy that inspires the people of that 



80 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

country which gave you birth, when its character or 
credit requires their generous exertions. 

James J. AIcDonxell, 

Secretary. 

On September 21, 1820, at a joint meeting of the 
boards of trustees, CorneHus Darby Xoon, Joseph 
Idley, Robert Fox, and James J. ^IcDonnell were ap- 
pointed a committee to make a search in the office of 
the Register in the City and County of New York, and 
find whether the deeds ''conveying the lots on which St, 
Patrick's Cathedral and St. Peter's Church stand, also 
the deeds of conveyance of those lots which form the 
burying-grounds annexed respectively to those churches 
have been duly recorded." On the following ^londay, 
September 25th, the committee reported to the board 
that they had found on record ''A deed of conveyance 
of ten lots of ground from Acquila Giles and Eliza, his 
wife, to St. Peter's Church, bearing date the fourteenth 
of January, 1803, and recorded in February, 1813, in 
Book 104, Page 465, but they did not succeed in finding 
any record of the deed conveying the other ten lots 
from David Wagstaft, which along with those conveyed 
by Acquila Giles form the twenty lots on which St. 
Patrick's Cathedral stands, with the burying-ground 
thereunto annexed, nor did they find any record of the 
deed conveying the lots on Barclay Street on which St. 
Peter's Church and its burying-ground are placed." 
The committee then called on ^Ir. Andrew Mor- 
ris, who promised to make inquiries and inform the 
committee as to where these two deeds might be 
found. 

On September 23d the committee was informed by 
^Ir. ^Morris "that the deed from Trinity Church, con- 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 81 

veying the lots on Barclay Street, was in the hands of 
Mr. Stoughton and the other deed from David Wag- 
staff, before mentioned, was in the hands of Mr. James 
Lynch, of Broadway." Mr. Morris gave assurances 
that the deeds would be turned over to Mr. Larue, who 
would have them recorded. 

Finally, under date of September 29, 1820, the rec- 
ords of St. Patrick's Cathedral give the official report 
of this committee as follows : 

The committee appointed on the subject of recording 
the deeds of the churches reported that the deeds al- 
luded to were lodged with the Register of the City and 
County of New York at half after twelve on Wednes- 
day, the twenty-seventh of September, by Mr. Louis 
Larue ; that your committee had called at the Register's 
three successive times the day before they were lodged 
for the purpose of being recorded. In these deeds your 
committee have taken notice of the dates, the names of 
parties, consideration, and some other particulars, vis.: 

Grantors, David Wagstaff and Sarah, his wife, to St. 
Peter's Church, May 23d, 1801, consideration, $2,312. 

Second. Robert Wagstaff and Fanny, his wife, to 
St. Peter's Church, one lot, January 12, 1811, $600. 

Third. Robert Wagstaff and Fanny, his wife, to St. 
Peter's Church, one lot, January 12, 1811, $600. 

Fourth. Which with ten lots from Giles mentioned 
in former record form the Cathedral lots. 

Fifth. Protestant Episcopal Church to St. Peter's 
Church, March 8, 1796, for $1,000. 

Under date of July 15, 1823, at a joint meeting of 
the boards, it was resolved "That the purchase agreed 
to be made by the trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral 
of three lots of ground, adjoining the burial-ground at 
said Cathedral, from Mrs. Jewell, is approved of by this 
board (St. Peter's), and they agree to pay or secure, 



82 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

when necessary, the sum of $300, the price of one lot, 
toward said purchase." 

At this period the health of Bishop Connolly was 
considerably impaired. Among the minutes of the 
trustees' meeting, we find a copy of a letter of sym- 
pathy addressed to Bishop Connolly during his illness. 

The first priest to receive Holy Orders in the Cathe- 
dral was the Rev. Richard Bulger, who was ordained 
by Bishop Connolly in 1820.* Father Bulger was at 
St. Patrick's at intervals between 1820 and 1824. We 
are told that in those days, in order to accustom the 
people to go "out of town" to the new church (St. Pat- 
rick's), services were held in it and in St. Peter's on 
alternate Sundays. Bishop Connolly, in spite of his 
difficulties with the trustees, of the infirmities of age, 
and his arduous labors, determined to reduce the debt 
on the Cathedral, which had cost $90,000. In 1824 
there was a debt of $53,000. The Bishop called meet- 
ings of the faithful and made a special appeal to the 
wealthy, with such success that in 1830 only $24,000 
remained to be paid. His next project was to pro- 
vide a more extensive burial-ground. The oldest Catho- 
lic tombstones in this city are those in Trinity church- 
yard. The first cemetery for the Catholics in New 
York was attached to old St. Peter's Church. It ceased 
to exist in June, 1836, when the remains and the earth 
were removed to make way for the building of the 
present structure.f 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 43. 

t In 1823, Madame Charlotte Melmoth, who kept a private school, 
and had among her pupils John McCloskey, afterwards Cardinal, was 
buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery. The burial record has this entry: 

"Charlotte Melmoth, aged seventy-three years. Birthplace, England; 
place of death, 107 Washington Street; date of death, September 28, 
1823." 



COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 83 

Most of the remains were conveyed to the Cathedral 
ground and there reinterred. After St. Peter's, the 
graveyard at St. Patrick's old Cathedral was opened 
for interments. The original plot was rather small, 
and in 1824 it was necessary to purchase additional 
ground extending to Prince Street from Mott to Mul- 
berry. In August of that year this new portion was 
solemnly blessed by Bishop Connolly, assisted by Fath- 
ers O'Gorman and Shanahan. At Vespers Father 
O'Gorman preached in Gaelic in the Cathedral and 
made a strong appeal for the new cemetery. A collec- 
tion was taken up and brought $450. Within a few 
months the heart of the venerable Bishop was wholly 
crushed by the death of his two most faithful priests, 
Fathers O'Gorman and Bulger, who passed away with- 
in eight days of each other, in November, 1824. They 
died in the Bishop's house. No. 512 Broadway, and 
were buried at the left of the Cathedral near the south 
door. Bishop Connolly did not long survive. He con- 
tracted his fatal illness while attending the funeral of 
Father O'Gorman and died at his home, February 6, 
1825, on Sunday evening at seven o'clock. 

In The New York Gazette, Thursday, Feb. 10, 1825, 
we read : "The remains of the pious, worthy, and ven- 
erable Bishop Connolly were entombed yesterday after- 
noon, attended by a larger concourse of people than is 
usual on such occasions. For the last two days the 
body of this good man lay in state in St. Peter's Church 
in Barclay Street, and it is said that not less than 
thirty thousand persons visited this novel exhibition. 
Everything connected with this ceremony was con- 
ducted in a most solemn and appropriate manner, and 



84 COMPLETION OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

reflects much credit on the CathoHcs of our city." His 
body was interred near the altar, but later when the 
new vaults were built, the remains were transferred to 
the one appropriated to the clergy.* 

During his administration, Bishop Connolly ordained 
the following priests : The Rev. Richard Bulger, 1820, 
who was the first priest ordained in the city of New 
York,t the Rev. Patrick Kelly, in 1820 or 1821, the 
Rev. Charles Brennan, 1822, the Rev. John Shanahan, 
1823,$ and the Rev. John Conroy, 1825.§ 



* Bayley, p. 99. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 43. 

tlbid., Vol. II., p. 45. 

§ Ibid., Vol. II., p. 47. 



CHAPTER III. 
Memories of Old St. Patrick's. 

Right Rev. John Dubois, Third Bishop. — First 

CONSFXRATION. FiRST DiOCESAN SyNOD. FiRST, 

Second, and Third Provincial Councils. — Death 
OF Archbishop Hughes. — Installation of Arch- 
bishop McCloskey. — Old St. Patrick's burned, 
Oct. 6, 1866.— Re-dedicated March 17, 1868.— In- 
vestiture OF First American Cardinal. — Rectors. 

The See of New York remained vacant nearly two 
years, during which time it was administered by the 
Very Rev. John Power, who had been appointed Vicar 
General by Bishop Connolly.* Father Power was one 
of the first, if not the first, of the sons of Maynooth, 
who came to this country. He came to America in 
1819 at the request of the trustees of St. Peter's, of 
which he became rector in 1822, and shortly after was 
named Vicar General and Administrator of the Dio- 
cese. Father Power was a holy and learned priest and 
displayed unusual tact in dealing successfully with the 
trustees. When the See became vacant by the death of 
Bishop Connolly, the trustees of St. Peter's and St. 
Patrick's sent a petition to Rome, asking for the ap- 
pointment of Father Power as their Bishop. The Prop- 
aganda, however, selected as the third Bishop of New 
York the Rev. John Dubois,t who was consecrated by 
Archbishop Marechal on October 29, 1826, in the 
Cathedral of Baltimore. Bishop Dubois was the 

• Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 42. 

t Ibid., Vol. I,, p. 278; Vol. II., p. 50. Bayley, p. lOL 



86 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

founder and first President of Mt. St. Mary's College, 
Emmittsburg, and was sixty-two years of age at the 
time of his election. 

In New York City there were but three churches 
and 35,000 Catholics. In the whole Diocese, compris- 
ing the State of New York and a considerable part of 
New Jersey, there were only eight churches, eighteen 
priests, and 185,000 souls. Bishop Dubois took pos- 
session of his Cathedral in November, 1826. 

''On the feast of All Saints I took possession of my 
See," he wrote, 'Vith what an impression! Was not 
my heart penetrated at the sight of the immense crush 
that filled the Cathedral! I estimate the number of 
the faithful present at more than 4,000. They were 
only the representatives of more than 150,000 others 
who were not present." President Jackson styled 
Bishop Dubois the most complete gentleman he had 
ever met. His first residence was in Prince Street, cor- 
ner of Crosby. Then he moved to the house in Mul- 
berry Street, which was built for him, and was half 
of the present rectory. The Truth-teller of September 
16, 1826, contains the following Hst of the churches and 
clergy in the city of New York. 

St. Peter's Church, the Very Rev. John Power, V. G. 
The Rev. Mr. Malou. 

St. Patrick's, the Rev. T. C. Levins,* and the Rev. 
William Taylor. 

St. Mary's Church, the Rev. Hatton Walsh,t and the 
Rev. Timothy Maguire.J 

In a letter to the Council of the Propagation of the 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 49. 
t Ibid., Vol. II., p. 50. 
tibid., Vol. II., p. 51. 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 87 

Faith at Lyons, the Bishop observed : "I am obliged 
to fulfil at the same time the duties of a Bishop, parish 
priest and catechist."* 

Like his predecessor, Bishop Dubois had to battle 
with the evils of trusteeism. His appointment was not 
acceptable to a considerable number of the Catholics of 
New York, who had asked for the Very Rev. John 
Power. They did not hesitate to make plain their dis- 
satisfaction with the appointment of one who was a 
stranger to them. We are told that they refused to pay 
the salary of the priest who was appointed rector of the 
Cathedral by the Bishop, instead of a clergyman pro- 
posed by the trustees. A committee called on Bishop 
Dubois and informed him that they could not ''conscien- 
tiously vote the Bishop's salary, unless he gave them 
such a clergyman as would be acceptable to them." The 
Bishop replied, ''Well, gentlemen, you may vote the 
salary, or not, just as it seems good to you. I do not 
need much. I can live in the basement or in the garret ; 
but whether I come up from the basement or down 
from the garret, I will still be your Bishop. "f 

The first prelate consecrated in St. Patrick's Cathe- 
dral was the Right Rev. John Hughes, who became 
Bishop of Basileopolis and coadjutor to Bishop Du- 
bois on June 7, 1838.$ Bishop Dubois was the Conse- 
crator, assisted by the Right Rev. Francis P. Kenrick, 
coadjutor of Philadelphia, and the Rev. Benedict J. 
Fenwick, Bishop of Boston. The sermon was preached 
by the Rev. Thomas Mullady, S.J. The Cathedral 
could not accommodate the immense throng, and plat- 
forms were erected around the walls outside so that the 

* Bayley, p. 113. 

t Ibid., p. 112. 

% In 1839 the Diocese of New York had sixty-three priests. 



88 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

ceremony might be viewed through the windows. Two 
weeks later, Bishop Dubois, already weakened by long 
illness, was stricken with paralysis, and left the admin- 
istration of the Diocese to his young and vigorous coad- 
jutor. He died on December 20, 1842, at his residence 
in Mulberry Street. At his own request he was buried 
under the pavement immediately in front of the main 
entrance to the Cathedral. 

On March 17, 1842, Bishop Hughes dedicated the 
new sanctuary and vestries which were begun by Bishop 
Dubois in 1838. This addition carried the Cathe- 
dral to Mott Street, and made it the largest church 
structure in New York City in those days. The first 
Diocesan Synod was held in St. Patrick's on August 
28, 1842.* The clergy, fifty- four in number, spent the 
week previous in spiritual retreat at St. John's College. 
At the opening session in the Cathedral, the Rev. John 
McElroy delivered the discourse. The subsequent 
meetings were held at St. John's College. 

Some of the most violent exhibitions of religious 
bigotry known in the United States were directed 
against old St. Patrick's. In 1835 an attempt was 
made to burn or otherwise ruin the Cathedral ; in 1842 
a reckless mob broke the windows of the Cathedral and 
of the Bishop's house; in 1844, during the "Native 
American" disturbances, when James Harper was a 
candidate for the Mayoralty, a monster torchlight pa- 
rade formed in City Hall Park, and marched through 
Chatham Street and the Bowery, intending to pass the 
Cathedral through Prince Street and burn it. Bishop 
Hughes filled the Cathedral and adjoining graveyard 
with armed men. The "Native Americans" avoided 

* Shea, Vol. III., p. 538. 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 89 

St. Patrick's that night. From 1835 to 1855 so intense 
was the opposition to Cathohcs in this city that fre- 
quently the Cathedral and other churches had to be 
guarded at night by armed parishioners. 

March 10, 1844,* is one of the brightest days in the 
history of St. Patrick's. Within its walls on that date, 
three Catholic priests were elevated to the dignity of 
the episcopate. The new prelates were the Right Rev. 
John McCloskey, Bishop of Axiere, and coadjutor of 
New York,t the Right Rev. Andrew Byrne, Bishop of 
Little Rock, Ark.,t and the Right Rev. William 
Quarter, Bishop of Chicago. § The ceremony excited 
the greatest interest among Protestants as well as 
Catholics. It is estimated that between seven and eight 
thousand people assembled in and around the Cathe- 
dral, to witness the magnificent procession and conse- 
cration services. Bishop Hughes had made every ef- 
fort to render the ceremony as imposing as possible. 
The interior of the Cathedral was beautifully deco- 
rated, and the sanctuary was ornamented with flowers 
and glittered with lights, "which threw an added luster 
upon the pontifical vestments and other appurtenances 
of the Bishops-elect." An eye-witness writes : "Since 
the enlargement and decided improvement in the Cathe- 
dral, there is perhaps no edifice in the country so well 
fitted for the due celebration of the solemn ceremonies 
of religion. The sanctuary — that all important portion 
of a Catholic church, yet so sadly contracted and ill- 
treated for the sake of an additional pew — here so spa- 

* On Jan. 29, 1843, six deacons were ordained priests. It was con- 
sidered an extraordinary event. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. II., p. 65; Vol. I., p. 48; Vol. 
I., p. 218; Vol. II., p. 9; Vol. II., p. 268. 

t Ibid., Vol. II., p. 78. 

§ Ibid., Vol. II., p. 56. 



90 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

cious, extending across the entire width of the church, 
and nearly thirty feet in depth, beautiful and appropri- 
ate tabernacle, and a magnificent window of stained- 
glass, is in itself and at any time an impressive sight to 
the most unintelligent observer, but was on this occa- 
sion doubly so." The procession started from the 
sacristy at half -past nine precisely, and passing along 
outside the sanctuary, entered in front of the great 
altar. The Consecrator was the Right Rev. John 
Hughes, Bishop of New York. 

The Freeman's Journal of March 16, 1844, makes 
this observation about the number of the clergy who 
were present : ''Altogether, the number of clergy and 
seminarians during the day could not have been far 
from seventy, and to the Catholic heart it must have 
been not the least consoling of the many reflections 
suggested by the occasion, that from the immediate 
neighborhood of this one city, so many ecclesiastics 
and religious could be assembled, without withdrawing 
from a single congregation the opportunities of divine 
service in their own church. Surely such an abun- 
dance of laborers promises well for the gathering in of 
the harvest of this great Diocese !" 

The consecration sermon was delivered by the Very 
Rev. John Power, D.D. The scene at the conclusion 
of the ceremony, when the new Bishops made the cir- 
cuit of the church, and blessed the people, is described 
as wonderfully impressive and touching. The crowd 
seemed to.be as impenetrable as the stone walls of the 
Cathedral, and yet as the Bishops approached it re- 
ceded, without the least disturbance, and old and young 
knelt in reverence to receive the episcopal benediction. 
The services lasted exactly five hours, and notwith- 




c^^ ^. 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 91 

standing the thousands who had gathered to witness 
them, not a single accident or untoward incident is re- 
corded. The writer in The Freeman's Journal concludes 
his account of the consecration with these words : "Thus 
passed and terminated a day which in no spirit of vain 
words w^e say will be not only long memorable in this 
Diocese, but will be remarkable in the annals of Catholi- 
cism in the United States — a day which the Catholic 
historian will love to dw^ell upon with delight, and 
record upon his glowing page as the advent of one of 
the many bright eras, which, please God, will illustrate 
the history of the Church of Christ in the New 
World."* 

Three years later, on October 17, 1847, Bishop 
Hughes consecrated the Right Rev. John Timon first 
Bishop of Bufifalo.f 

The Very Rev. John Power, pastor of St. Peter's, 
and Vicar General of the Diocese, passed away on 
April 14, 1849, and was universally mourned by the 
Catholics of New York. His body lay in state in St. 
Peter's, and was then borne to the Cathedral, where 
the obsequies were held. Bishop Hughes preached on 
the occasion, and paid an eloquent and well-deserved 
tribute to Father Power's thirty-two years of service in 
the mother parish of the Diocese. 

New York was erected into an archiepiscopal See by 
Pope Pius IX. on July 19, 1850, with the Dioceses of 
Boston, Hartford, Albany, and Buffalo as Suffragan 
Sees.J Archbishop Hughes received the pallium from 
Pope Pius IX. in Rome on April 3, 1851. On October 

* The Freeman's Journal, Vol. IV., p. 300. 

t The Diocese of New York had one hundred and twenty-four priests 
when the Sees of Albany and Buffalo were made. 

t The Diocese of New York had one hundred and thirteen priests 
when the Sees of Brooklyn and Newark were created. 



92 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

30, 1853, St. Patrick's Cathedral again witnessed a 
triple consecration. 

On that day His Excellency, Mgr. Bedini, Apostolic 
Nuncio to Brazil, consecrated the Right Rev. John 
Loughlin, Bishop of Brooklyn, the Right Rev. J. 
R. Bayley, Bishop of Newark, and the Right Rev. 
Louis de Goesbriand, Bishop of Burlington, Vt. At 
10.45 A.M. the priests started from the Archbishop's 
residence and passed through Mulberry, Prince and 
Mott Streets into the Cathedral. The Archbishop 
walked under a rich crimson velvet canopy, nearly six 
feet square, lined with changeable green silk. Four 
trustees of the Cathedral carried the canopy. Among 
those present were Bishop Fitzgerald of Boston, Bishop 
McCloskey of Albany, Bishop Timon of Buffalo, Bishop 
O'Reilly of Hartford, and Bishop Connolly of St. 
Johns, N.B. The Freeman's Journal observes, under 
date of November 2, 1853 : "As the procession passed 
through the streets, it was regarded with great re- 
spect by the spectators, who almost without exception 
uncovered their heads. Not the slightest interruption or 
confusion occurred." The consecration sermon was de- 
livered by Archbishop Hughes. On such a significant 
occasion the great prelate could not help comparing the 
rapid progress made by the Church with its humble be- 
ginning. His words are worth quoting here : ''Many of 
you remember when there was no Bishop in New York, 
and no great motive for a Bishop coming here. . . . 
What were the Catholics at that time? It was, I be- 
lieve, in 1816, through the greater part of New Jersey, 
and the whole of New York there were supposed to be 
from 10,000 to 16,000 poor and scattered foreigners, 
yet they were too many to be neglected. How many 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 93 

were the priests to assist and support the Bishop ? Only 
three. Time has passed- on. What was then so in- 
significant a Bishopric is now a MetropoHtan See, and 
however unworthy the occupant of that See, he will 
not on that account restrain an expression of his pride, 
at least his great religious joy, at perceiving within the 
seven past years four illustrious Sees, offshoots from 
the primitive one established in New York in 1816. 
There has been a similar change in the Diocese of 
Boston, so that there are now nine Bishops in a region 
where about six years ago there were but two." 

The first Provincial Council of New York was 
opened in St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, October 
1, 1854. Three solemn sessions were held: the open- 
ing session, the session of Wednesday, and the closing 
session on Sunday, October 8th. The religious and 
clergy assembled in the archiepiscopal residence, and at 
11 o'clock marched in solemn procession to the Cathe- 
dral. The Right Rev. Dr. McCloskey was the cele- 
brant of the Pontifical Mass. He was followed by the 
Archbishop. The procession passed down Mulberry 
Street through Prince to Mott, and entered the east 
door of the Cathedral. At the end of the Gospel, Arch- 
bishop Hughes preached an eloquent discourse to the 
congregation that filled every available seat in the 
Cathedral. The Archbishop began his sermon as fol- 
lows : 

"The first Provincial Council of the ecclesiastical 
Province of New York is about to be solemnly opened 
under the invocation of the Spirit of God. ... It 
is an event in the history of the Church in this coun- 
try. There are, there must be many within the sound 
of my voice who recollect the time when there was no 



94 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

Bishop in all that is now this Province, and scarcely 
more than two or three priests. Contrasting the mem- 
ory of that day with the spectacle which you now wit- 
ness, those persons must be struck with the wonderful 
development and progress which religion has made 
within this interval." 

At the close of the session, the clergy and prelates 
returned to the archiepiscopal residence in solemn pro- 
cession as before. The Freeman's Journal of October 
7, 1854, observes : "The day and the ceremonies were 
the most grand, most interesting, and most impressive 
that the Catholics of New York City have ever wit- 
nessed." 

During the Council two congregations were held each 
day. The prelates with the secretaries of the Council 
held a private meeting each morning at ten o'clock. The 
prelates and theologians, with the representatives of 
the Religious Orders, met together in the general con- 
gregation each afternoon at three o'clock. Besides, 
special subjects were assigned for discussion to particu- 
lar committees, who reported to the general congrega- 
tion. The theologians who attended the Council were 
as follows: 

The Very Rev. J. J. Conroy, V. G., to the Right Rev. 
Dr. McCloskey. 

The Rev. J. M. Forbes, to the Right Rev. Dr. Fitz- 
patrick. 

The Rev. William Quinn, to the Right Rev. Dr. 
Timon. 

The Rev. Matthew Hart, to the Right Rev. Dr. 
O'Reilly. 

The Very Rev. Mr. ReflFeina, V.G., to the Right Rev. 
Dr. Loughlin. 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 95 

The Very Rev. J. Moran, V.G., to the Right Rev. Dr. 
Bayley. 

The Very Rev. P. M. Mignault, V. G., to the Right 
Rev. Dr. de Goesbriand. 

The representatives of the ReHgious Orders were 
the Rev. Father Boullanger, Pro-Provincial of the 
Jesuits. 

The Rev. Father Helmprecht, rector of the Redemp- 
torists. 

The second solemn session was held on Wednesday. 
A Solemn Pontifical Mass was celebrated by the Right 
Rev. Dr. de Goesbriand for the deceased Bishops and 
clergy of the Province. The preacher was the Right 
Rev. Dr. Fitzpatrick. 

The closing session was held on Sunday, October 
8th. The ceremonies were as magnificent as those of 
the opening day. The procession started at the resi- 
dence of the Archbishop and followed the same route 
through Mulberry, Prince, and Mott Streets to the 
Cathedral. The preacher on this occasion was the 
Right Rev. Bishop McCloskey. 

At the conclusion of the Council, these decrees were 
promulgated '.^ 

First, Profession of obedience and devotion to the 
Holy Father. 

The second promulgated anew the decrees of the 
seven Provincial Councils of Baltimore. 

The third forbade priests to mortgage church prop- 
erty without the permission of the Bishop. 

The fourth repeated the injunctions of the National 
Council of Baltimore respecting Catholic education, 

* Life of Archbishop Hughes, by Hassard, p. 367. 



96 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

and exhorted clergymen to labor zealously for the es- 
tablishment of schools. 

The fifth admonished priests that it was unlawful 
for them to exercise functions of the ministry requiring 
faculties, except within their own Diocese, or with the 
permission of the Bishop in whose Diocese they may be 
sojourning. 

The sixth enjoined upon all parish clergymen the 
duty of providing as soon as possible a pastoral resi- 
dence adjacent to the church, the title of which, as 
well as of all other church property, was to be in the 
name of the Bishop. 

At the close of the Council, Archbishop Hughes, in 
the name of the Bishops of the Province, issued a pas- 
toral letter, exhorting all the faithful of the Province to 
bear themselves with dignity and patience during the 
Knownothing persecution. At this time the question 
of Italian unity excited world-wide interest, and the 
American papers were filled with insulting articles on 
the Papal Government. Archbishop Hughes determined 
that the Catholics of America should not remain silent 
under such persistent misrepresentation. He assembled 
the Bishops in the second Provincial Council in the last 
days of January, and presented to them a pastoral let- 
ter, dated the nineteenth of January, which they all 
signed. 

The letter read in part: "If princes are weary of 
the glorious privilege which God has conferred on them, 
of protecting the Sovereign Pontiff, let them abdicate 
any such pretensions. Let them not, however, spring 
upon Catholic Christendom, without notice, a policy so 
cruel, so unjust, as that which they seem to meditate. 
Let them make known to Christendom that they have 




TOORfyuaE t, COLOa CO 



ORIGINAL IN THE ARCHBISHOP'S HOUSE. PAI NTED BY THE LATE AUGUSTIN E HEALY. 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 97 

ceased to protect the Head of the Church. Let them 
allow ten years for the Catholic peoples to provide the 
means of sustaining and defending the Holy Father in 
all his rights, and it will be strange indeed if the sub- 
jects shall not during that period be in position to carry 
on a duty which the sovereigns have neglected or be- 
trayed." 

The Catholics received the letter with the greatest 
joy. To the surprise of the Archbishop, some of the 
papers accepted the whole doctrine and in special arti- 
cles recommended it to their readers. Copies were 
sent to all the monarchs of Europe, with the exception 
of Queen Victoria and King Victor Emmanuel, and 
also to the Bishops of Great Britain and Ireland. The 
Pope had the letter translated into Italian, and distrib- 
uted throughout Italy. To Archbishop Hughes is due 
in great measure the loyalty and devotion to the Holy 
See which are characteristic of the Catholics of 
America. 

On the following first of July, the Archbishop de- 
livered one of his most eloquent discourses on the Pope. 
The Cathedral was crowded to the doors, and never did 
its walls echo more thrilling words than those uttered 
by the venerable prelate in defence of the Vicar of 
Christ. Our people to-day will be astonished to 
learn that the Catholics of New York contributed the 
magnificent sum of $53,000, which was forwarded to 
Pope Pius IX., with a suitable address of sympathy 
from his children in New York. 

The third Provincial Council was held in June of 
the year 1861. Seven important decrees were passed 
on the duties of the clergy, the superintendence of 
church schools, the solemn celebration of the Mass, 



98 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

marriage regulationSj church revenue, and church 
property. 

In November, 1861, Archbishop Hughes was sent 
to Europe by the United States Government to exert 
his great influence abroad for the interests of this coun- 
try, which was then in the throes of Civil War. On 
August 17, 1862, shortly after his return, he deUvered 
in the Cathedral his famous sermon on the war. His 
remarks, especially on drafting, called forth consider- 
able criticism, and alienated many of his Southern 
friends and admirers. "If I had a voice," he said, "in 
the councils of the nation, I would say : Let volunteers 
continue and a draft be made. If three hundred thou- 
sand men be not sufficient, let three hundred thousand 
more be called upon, so that the army in its fulness 
of strength shall be always on hand for any emer- 
gency. This is not a cruelty: this is mercy: this is 
humanity. Anything that will put an end to the 
draggling of human blood across the whole surface of 
the country."* 

St. Patrick's Cathedral, which had so often resounded 
with the eloquent tones of the great prelate, was soon to 
open its portals for his last visit. He died on Sunday 
evening, January 3, 1864, between seven and eight 
o'clock, while Bishop McCloskey was reciting the pray- 
ers of the Church for a departing soul. On Tuesday 
morning, January 5th, about four o'clock, the body was 
removed from Madison Avenue to the Cathedral in 
Mulberry Street, and placed on a catafalque, which 
stood upon the very spot where Archbishop Hughes 
had knelt twenty-six years previous to receive the epis- 
copal consecration. The Cathedral had been enlarged 

* The Freeman's Journal, Aug. 23, 1862. 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 99 

since 1838, and what was the sanctuary then is now part 
of the nave. The church was draped in deep mourn- 
ing. The Archbishop was laid out in episcopal vest- 
ments, with miter and crozier. For two days the body 
lay in state and was viewed by about two hundred thou- 
sand persons. The obsequies topk place on Thursday, 
January 7th, the anniversary of his consecration. An 
immense throng filled every approach to the Cathedral. 
The courts and other public offices suspended business, 
and appropriate resolutions were passed by the Com- 
mon Council and State Legislature. Eight Bishops and 
nearly two hundred priests attended the ceremonies. 
Bishop McCloskey preached the sermon and paid this 
tribute to the illustrious Archbishop : *'We have this 
to say in conclusion. That if ever there was a man 
who in the whole history and character of his life im- 
pressed upon us the sense and the conviction that he 
had been raised up by God, was chosen as His instru- 
ment to do an appointed work, and was strengthened 
by His grace, and supported by His wisdom for the 
accomplishment of the work for which he had been 
chosen and appointed, that man was Archbishop 
Hughes. He was from the beginning until the end 
clearly and plainly an instrument in the hands of 
God."* 

On Sunday, August 21, 1864, Archbishop McCloskey 
was installed as Archbishop of New York. "The be- 
loved Dr. McCloskey was on Sunday installed solemnly 
as Archbishop of New York. It was a magnificent af- 
fair. The procession was robbed of some of its ac- 
cessories by the severe rain. It had to be formed in 
the Cathedral sacristy and confined to the building. 

* Life of Archbishop Hughes, Hassard, p. 504. 



100 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

Most of the Bishops of the Province graced the oc- 
casion. The Most Rev. Archbishop Spalding of Balti- 
more was also present. The new Archbishop preached 
on the occasion, and drew a contrast between the 
mourning so recently come upon the Cathedral and its 
present joy at the reception of its new pontiff. Tt has 
been with you, beloved brethren, even as it was with 
the Apostles on Resurrection night. Your hearts were 
sad, the prelate whom you had revered so highly, the 
father whom you had loved so long and so well, was 
taken from you. The joy of your eye, the pride of 
your heart, had departed. Shadows had fallen upon 
your path. You felt that you had been left orphans. 
The shining light of the sanctuary was extinguished. 
The Holy of holies was encompassed with the gloom of 
mourning. This church and See of New York sat 
widowed and desolate, for her great and good Arch- 
bishop was no more. But now the scene is changed. 
The church is holding high festival, for the pall of sor- 
row, which had so long enveloped her altar, has dis- 
appeared. The garment of her widowhood has been 
laid aside, while she celebrates this day with great 
pomp and splendor her new nuptials.' "* 

On the night of October 6, 1866, historic St. Pat- 
rick's was destroyed by fire.f The Freeman's Journal, 
October 13, 1866, has the following account of the 
disaster : 

* The Freeman's Journal, August 27, 1864. 

t The Cathedral took fire in 1835, but was saved by a heroic act. 
"All who stood by one night in 1835 when the south side of the 
roof was ignited by sparks from a fire a short distance off must still 
remember the beating of the heart as they watched the daring man who 
at the risk of his life started from the peak to slide to the burning 
spot. There was at that time no guard around the eaves of the build- 
ing, and had he failed to check his downward course at the opening 
already made by the fire, his death was unavoidable. At the risk of 
his life he saved the building." (Bishop McQuaid.) 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 101 

"The old Catholics of New York have met with a 
loss that money can never replace. Our dear old Cathe- 
dral has burned down. St. Patrick's, extending from 
Mott to Mulberry Street, and flanked by Prince Street 
on the south, and the old burying-ground on the north, 
took fire on the night of the sixth inst. from embers fly- 
ing from another fire on Broadway. By what we learn 
after the first confusion, the Rev. Dr. Mullen and 
other reverend gentlemen attached to the Cathedral, in 
the absence of the Vicar General, at the risk of their 
lives saved the sacred vessels and the Holy of holies, 
and many of the honored surroundings, most of the 
vestments and even all the pictures were rescued by the 
bold and gallant daring of one or another — but the old 
Cathedral is gone! It was the oldest Catholic church 
in New York City. The parish of St. Peter's is older, 
but its church is newer. Cardinal Cheverus, while ex- 
iled from his native land by French black Republicans, 
and while Bishop of Boston, dedicated it in 1815. The 
remains of Bishop Connolly, of the saintly Brute, and 
of Archbishop Hughes lie in the vaults beneath, and the 
old Cathedral is consecrated by so many memories. 
So many have been christened there, so many mar- 
riages have been celebrated there, so many funerals! 
So many dear to us repose in the vaults. No ! Money 
can never restore old St. Patrick's ! 

"The fire fortunately did not work down to the mor- 
tuary vaults, the remains of the dead are undisturbed. 
The building stands a bleak ruin of tottering walls. 
Most of its material value is destroyed. The absolute 
loss is probably $40,000 or $50,000. This is not appal- 
ling — but old St. Patrick's is gone !" 



102 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

The Cathedral was rebuilt within the four walls that 
remained, and dedicated on the feast of St. Patrick, 
March 17, 1868. The Freeman's Journal, March 28, 
1868, has a brief notice of the event. "Honored old 
St. Patrick's Cathedral was burned up in the autumn 
of 1866. It has been rebuilt with great improvements.* 
This St. Patrick's Day was appropriately chosen for the 
blessing of the new building. Archbishop McCloskey 
officiated at the Benediction and at the Solemn High 
Mass, assisted by the venerable Vicar General Starrs 
and other priests. The Redemptorist Father Schneider, 
for many years a missionary in Ireland, and we sup- 
pose for that reason chosen, pronounced a most elo- 
quent discourse on the occasion." 

A few months later, on July 12, 1868, the newly built 
Cathedral witnessed the consecration of the present 
venerable Bishop of Rochester, the Right Rev. Ber- 
nard McQuaid. The Freeman's Journal, July 18, 1868, 
records it as follows: "The Right Rev. B. J. Mc- 
Quaid, late President of Seton Hall College, N. J., 
was consecrated first Bishop of Rochester, New York, 
on Sunday last. The Most Rev. Archbishop of New 
York was the Consecrator. The Right Rev. Bishops 
of this Province were all present, as were a consider- 
able number of the clergy of New York and New 
Jersey. The Rev. Father Preston, of St. Ann's, 
preached the sermon." 

* "The elders of the congregation whose memories go back to that 
which this church edifice was before its extension under Bishop Hughes, 
remember, no doubt, the high, straight-backed pews, constructed ap- 
parently with a view to uncomfortableness, the freezing temperature of 
a winter's morning in a building without a fire, and the dim^ light 
at a Lenten evening's service, that came from the candles in tin 
sconces hung on the columns, and just enough to show the darkness. 
The methods and arrangements of those times, and of our fathers, 
were more remarkable for simplicity and economy than for comfort 
and brilliancy." (Bishop McQuaid.) 




cofrrnoHT or o m.andcrson ia97 



^U..^i^^ 



fHoroa/rAi^Li/fe i ceic/f fc 



^i^C^^^^^^ 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 103 

The second Diocesan Synod was opened in the 
Cathedral by Archbishop McCloskey on September 29, 
1868. The sessions continued during two days. Arch- 
bishop McCloskey celebrated the Solemn Mass. About 
one hundred and fifty of the clergy were present. The 
Synod closed on the 30th, with the usual ceremonies. 
The decrees of the second Plenary Council of Balti- 
more, already approved by the Pope, and also the 
decrees of the third Provincial Council of New York, 
were promulgated. Important decrees were issued on 
all the Sacraments, except Holy Orders. This Synod 
decreed concerning pastors of parishes "that no other 
priest, even the assistant, had aught to do with the 
administration of the parish, except the pastor."* 

The next important event connected with the Cathe- 
dral was the consecration of the Right Rev. Francis 
McNeirny as Bishop of Albany, which took place on 
April 21, 1872.t 

On February 10, 1873, Father Starrs, the Vicar 
General, was buried from the Cathedral. $ Father 
Starrs was ordained priest by Bishop Dubois on the 
twelfth of September, 1834. He was appointed assis- 
tant at the Cathedral, and in 1844 became pastor of St. 
Mary's. He was rector of the Cathedral and Vicar 
General in 1853, and several times Administrator of 
the Diocese during his office of Vicar General from 
1853 to 1873 — notably during the vacancy of the See 
after the death of Archbishop Hughes, and during the 
Vatican Council. He died February 6, 1873. Arch- 
bishop McCloskey sang the Mass of Requiem and 

* Smith, The Catholic Church in New York, Vol. II., p. 365-373. 

{Historical Records and Studies, Vol. V., p. 171. 
The Freeman's Journal, Feb. 8, 1873; Historical Records and 
Studies, Vol. II., p. 73. 



104 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

Bishop Loughlin preached the panegyric. Several other 
Bishops attended the funeral. On May 1, 1873, the 
Rev. William Quinn was made rector of the Cathedral. 
Father Quinn was ordained December 17, 1845, by 
Bishop McCloskey, then the coadjutor to Bishop 
Hughes. Until September, 1849, he was stationed at 
St. Joseph's Church. Thence he went to Rondout as 
pastor, but after a few months was recalled to New 
York and assigned to St. Peter's, Barclay Street, where 
he labored for twenty-four years. The parish was in 
great financial embarrassment, but was saved through 
the great administrative abilities of Father Quinn. He 
became rector of the Cathedral in 1873, and for a time 
was Administrator of the Diocese, as well as Vicar 
General. In December, 1881, he was made a Domestic 
Prelate. On April 15, 1887, Mgr. Quinn died in 
Paris, while on his way to this country. "Monsignor 
Quinn was an able man, a successful administrator and 
a true friend."* 

The crowning glory of the old Cathedral, the greatest 
event in its whole history, is the investiture of the first 
American Cardinal. The Freeman's Journal of May 
1, 1875, begins its description of the ceremony as 
follows : 

"The city of New York was moved by the event of 
Tuesday, April 27th, at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Mul- 
berry, Prince and Mott Streets. There John McClos- 
key was ordained priest, there he was consecrated 
Bishop, there on Tuesday last he received the burden 
with an honor and a rank next to that of the Vicar of 
Christ. . . . The Cathedral presented a throng 
limited only by the possibilities of its space. At twenty 

* Archbishop Corrigan, Historical Records and Studies, Vol. IV., p. 102. 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 105 

minutes to eleven o'clock, the reverend clergy, to the 
number of many hundred, in cassock and surplice for 
the secular clergy, and in the habits of their Orders for 
the Benedictines, Dominicans, and Franciscans of the 
Capuchin Observance, came into the Cathedral and 
filed down the middle aisle of the building, occupying 
chairs set between the pews on either side. When these 
were filled, seats in and around the sanctuary, that had 
been greatly enlarged for the occasion, were occupied 
to the utmost possible extent. Monsignor Roncetti, ac- 
companied by Dr. Ubaldo-Ubaldi as his secretary, was 
ushered into the sanctuary by the Rev. Father Kearney 
as master of ceremonies. Monsignor Roncetti bore in 
his hands the red biretta, which he placed on a little 
table at the Gospel side of the high altar. Count M*ara- 
foschi of the Pope's Noble Guard took his place behind 
the table on which the biretta rested. Seven Arch- 
bishops and more than twenty Bishops and Bishops- 
elect came in procession from the sacristy. Mon- 
signor Roncetti, having put on the scarlet mantilla and 
sash of white ermine, came next. He was followed 
by the Cardinal Archbishop of New York, at whose 
entrance the Archbishops and Bishops took off their 
miters, in recognition of his rank. The Pontifical 
Mass was celebrated by Bishop Loughlin of Brooklyn. 
The Rev. Dr. McGlynn acted as assistant priest. 
Fathers McGean and Kearney were the deacon and 
subdeacon. The Cardinal occupied the throne on the 
Gospel side, while Archbishop Bayley, who had been 
specially designated by the Holy Father to confer the 
biretta, was enthroned on the Epistle side. At the 
conclusion of the Mass, Archbishop Bayley ascended 
the Epistle side of the altar. Monsignor Roncetti, the 



106 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

Papal Ablegate, advanced and handed the Archbishop 
the Papal brief, which was read by the Rev. Dr. Mc- 
Glynn. The Papal Envoy then presented the red 
biretta to Archbishop Bayley, and made an appropriate 
address, both to Archbishop Bayley and to the new 
Cardinal. The biretta was placed on the head of Cardi- 
nal McCloskey, who then made a reply to the address 
of the Ablegate. The Cardinal addressed the congre- 
gation in a few words, thanking them for all the re- 
spect and devotion which had been manifested toward 
him, and explaining that the honor conferred on him 
personally was intended by the Holy See as an honor 
to the whole American episcopate and the laity as well. 
His Eminence intoned the Te Deum, which was mag- 
nificently rendered by the choir. Meanwhile, he re- 
tired to the sacrist}^ and was vested in the scarlet robes 
of the Cardinalate. About the close of the Te Deum, 
he appeared again, and ascended the altar, from which 
he gave the blessing. It was an occurrence not to be 
described by words." 

On May 1, 1877, the Right Rev. John Lancaster 
Spalding, D.D., was consecrated Bishop of Peoria. 
The Freeman's Journal, ]\Iay 12, 1877, has the follow- 
ing notice : "The Right Rev. John L. Spalding, D.D., 
late of St. Mary's Church, New York City, and nephew 
of the Most Rev. Martin Spalding, D.D., late Arch- 
bishop of Baltimore, was raised to the sublime dignity 
of the episcopate on Tuesday, ]\Iay 1st, in St. Patrick's 
Cathedral in this city, by His Eminence Cardinal 
McCloskey, Archbishop of New York. Dr. Spalding 
is the first prelate consecrated by the first American 
Cardinal, or by any Cardinal in America." 

On May 25, 1879, St. Patrick's Cathedral became 



MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 107 

a parish church. On the previous Sunday, the Very- 
Rev. William Quinn, Vicar General, who had been 
rector of the Cathedral for six years, bade farewell to 
his congregation, before taking up his duties on Fifth 
Avenue and Fiftieth Street. 

Three rectors of old St. Patrick's were raised to the 
episcopal office : Bishops Fenwick of Boston, Byrne of 
Little Rock, and Loughlin of Brooklyn. The Rev. 
Bernard O'Reilly, assistant in 1832-33, became Bishop 
of Hartford. Seven Bishops, Bayley of Newark, after- 
wards Archbishop of Baltimore; Bacon of Portland; 
McCloskey of Louisville ; McQuaid of Rochester ; Mc- 
Neirny of x\lbany; McDonnell of Brooklyn; and Col- 
ton of Albany, were born within the parish district, 
and all but the first were baptized at its font. 

Among the many priests born and baptized there, 
we may mention Right Rev. Mgr. M. J. Lavelle, V.G., 
and rector of the new St. Patrick's; the Right Rev. 
John Kearney, rector of old St. Patrick's; Fathers 
Madden, Allaire, Carroll, Conron, Corley, Foy, Ahearn, 
Shine, Kelly, English, and Smith. Father Daly of 
Utica; Right Rev. Mgr. Donnelly, Fathers Kean, 
Riordan, Chas. O'Keeffe, Drumgoole, founder of the 
Mission of the Immaculate Virgin; Martin, McCor- 
mick, Byrne, and Hannigan came to St. Patrick's parish 
as children, where they frequented the parochial 
schools, made their First Communion and obtained the 
grace of vocation to the holy priesthood. Many sons 
of St. Patrick's are to be found in the Religious 
Orders and among the Brothers of the Christian 
Schools, while a small army of its daughters are 
serving the Master in the various communities of 
Sisterhoods. 



108 MEMORIES OF OLD ST. PATRICK'S 

Rectors of Old St. Patrick's. 

Rev. Anthony Kohlmann, SJ "1 i809_i815 

Rev. Benedict Fenwick, S J J 

Very Rev. John Power, Administrator 1825-1826 

Rev. Thomas C. Levins 1826-1834 

Rev. Andrew Byrne 1836 

Rev. John D. Urquhart 1836-1840 

Rev. Wilham Starrs 1841-1844 

Rev. John LoughHn 1844-1853 

Very Rev. WilHam Starrs, V.G 1853-1873 

Right Rev. WilHam Quinn, V.G 1873-1879 

Right Rev. John Kearney 1879-1908 



Part III. 
The New Cathedral of St. Patrick. 




PHOTOOf^VUtE at. COLOf CO.' 






CHAPTER I. 

The New Cathedral Begun. 

The Beginnings of the New Cathedral. — The 
Site. — Old St. John's Church. — Contracts. — 
Architect's Report. — Circular Letter of Arch- 
bishop Hughes. — Corner-stone laid August 15, 
1858. — Extracts from Sermon of Archbishop 
Hughes. 

We have already noted that the site of the new 
Cathedral was purchased in March, 1810, by Rev. 
Father Kohlmann. Andrew Morris and Cornelius 
Heeney took title to the land, which, with some im- 
provements, cost $11,000. A mansion on the property 
was occupied by the Jesuit Fathers as their school, 
known as the New York Literary Institution, which 
had been transferred, as already explained, from its 
original location opposite old St. Patrick's. In the 
summer of 1813, the New York Literary Institution 
was closed. The title to the property remained with 
the Jesuits.* The price they paid for it above the mort- 
gage was $1,300. They sold it to the Diocese for $3,000. 

In 1814, after the college was closed, the Trappist 
monks occupied the buildings, and conducted an orphan 
asylum. They left New York in the autumn of that 
year and their work disappeared with them.f 

* Historical Records and Studies, Vol. IV., p, 333. 

t It is a curious coincidence that the site of the new as of the old 
Cathedral, was intended for a cemetery. The Truth Teller published a 
letter dated March 24, 1829, protesting against the purchase, because 
the ground was four or five miles distant from City Hall, and unfit 
for burial purposes. A vault was built on the premises in 1832. At 
a meeting held March 16, 1833, the trustees determined to find out 
and prosecute "the invaders of the vault out of town." After August 
2, 1848, the Eleventh Street cemetery and the free vault at Fiftieth 
Street, were closed. 



112 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

St. Patrick's trustees, at a meeting held November 
13, 1827, invited the trustees of St. Peter's and St. 
Mary's to a joint meeting, "to consider the propriety of 
purchasing a new burying-ground." Accordingly, on 
Ad!ay 14, 1828, a committee of the members from each 
of these boards was appointed to examine Mr. Dennis 
Doyle's place on the Middle Road, which place is now 
occupied by St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue, 
Fiftieth and Fifty-first Streets. A cursory examina- 
tion would have revealed the nature of the soil, which 
rendered it entirely unfit for burial purposes. Fortu- 
nately, however, the trustees did not make any exami- 
nation, and thus secured for St. Patrick's Cathedral 
one of the most beautiful and valuable sites in the 
United States.* The various transfers, beginning in 
1810, may be briefly summed up as follows :t 

Robert Lylburn and wife to Francis Thompson and 
Thomas Cadle. Deed dated February 20, 1810. Re- 
corded in Lib. 244, p. 155. Consideration $9,000. 

Francis Thompson and wife and Thomas Cadle and 
wife to Andrew Morris and Cornelius Heeney. Deed 
dated March 6, 1810. Recorded Lib. 150, p. 235. Con- 
sideration $11,000. 

Andrew Morris and wife and Cornelius Heeney to 
Dennis Doyle. Deed dated May 21, 1821. Recorded 
Lib. 244, p. 140. Consideration $2,000. 

Christian L. Grim, master in Chancery, to Francis 
Cooper. Master's deed dated November 12, 1828. Re- 
corded Lib. 246, p. 429. Consideration $5,550. This 
was a foreclosure sale, the suit being by the Eagle Fire 
Company against Dennis Doyle and others. As stated 

* Shea, Vol. II., p. 168. 

t New York Journal of Commerce, June, 1882. 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 113 

by Mr. Beekman, Mr. Cooper, Jan. 30, 1829, conveyed 
the property to the trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral 
and the trustees of St. Peter's Church, as equal owners. 

"In 1842, the trustees of the Cathedral and St. 
Peter's Church conveyed a part of the land, about one 
hundred feet square, on the northeast corner of Fif- 
tieth Street and Fifth Avenue to St. John's Roman 
Catholic Church, for the purpose of erecting a 
church building. This land was, however, sold under 
foreclosure, and after passing through two or three 
hands, was purchased by the late Archbishop Hughes, 
and by him conveyed to the trustees of the Cathedral. 
The deeds may be found in Lib. 412, p. 221 ; Lib. 480, 
p. 241; Lib. 490, p. 230; Lib. 521, p. 193; Lib. 529, 
p. 173 ; Lib. 630, p. 337." 

Until the year 1835, when St. Paul's Church in One 
Hundred and Seventeenth Street was established, the 
old Jesuit school at Fiftieth Street and Fifth Avenue 
was the only place where Mass was celebrated in the 
central and upper part of Manhattan Island. When 
the church of St. John the Evangelist was founded in 
1841, the old college buildings were used as a rectory. 
These buildings were later removed to where now 
stands the Villard Block on Madison Avenue, opposite 
the Archbishop's residence, to make way for the con- 
struction of the present Cathedral. The trustees of St. 
Peter's Church got into debt and made an assignment 
for the benefit of their creditors on September 13, 
1844, and in 1851, by order of the Supreme Court, the 
share of St. Peter's was conveyed to Dr. James Roose- 
velt Bayley and Jas. B. Nicholson. In 1852 a parti- 
tion suit was instituted between the trustees of St. Pat- 
rick's Cathedral and the trustees of St. Peter's, and all 



114 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

the property except that conveyed to St. John's Church 
was divided between them in severalty. They executed 
mutual confirmatory deeds, dated October 26, 1852. 
That from the Cathedral is recorded Lib. 614, p. 509, 
and from the trustees of St. Peter's Church in Lib. 621, 
p. 187. Finally, the trustees of the Cathedral pur- 
chased the lots set off to the trustees of St. Peter's.* 

About the same time Archbishop Hughes, who held 
the record title to the plot of St. John's Church, con- 
veyed it to the Cathedral trustees. In this manner the 
title to the entire block was vested in the trustees of St. 
Patrick's Cathedral, where it has ever since remained.f 

The church of St. John the Evangelist, the pastoral 
residence, and the parochial school, stood for many 
years on the portion of the property lying to the east 
of Madison Avenue. "The church was destroyed by 
fire while the Cathedral was in course of erection, but 
was immediately rebuilt, and until the Cathedral was 
occupied was in constant use. The church, though of 
no great material value, was among the most important 
of the Roman Catholic churches in the city. The build- 
ings have been removed, and all the property lying to 
the east of Madison Avenue was sold, with the condi- 
tion that no other than first-class private dwellings 
should be erected on Madison Avenue, and for a dis- 
tance of two hundred feet on the streets. An offer of 
a sum larger than any previously made was declined 
for the reason that it was understood that an opera 
house was to be erected on the property.''^: 

As early at 1850, Archbishop Hughes determined on 

* See deed dated December 28, 1852, Recorded Lib. 630, p. 338. 
Consideration, $59,500. 

t Historical Records and Studies, Vol. IV., p. 333. Edw. J. McGuire. 
t New York Journal of Commerce, June, 1882. 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 115 

the construction of a monumental Cathedral for the 
growing See of New York. A few years later, in 1853, 
he instructed Mr. Renwick to draw plans, which were 
changed several times until 1858, when they were defi- 
nitely agreed upon. 

The first meeting of the Bureau of Contracts was 
held at the house of the Most Rev. Archbishop in 
Mulberry Street, on December 16, 1858. There were 
present His Grace and Mr. Davis. 

The next meeting was held on December 21, 1858, at 
263 Mulberry Street. There were present the Most 
Rev. Archbishop, Messrs. Smith and Carrigan, as well 
as the architects, Messrs. Rodrigue and Renwick. 
Mr. Renwick read the several proposals which had 
been presented for furnishing stone, and a report of the 
architects, giving the results of their experimental de- 
cisions in regard to the various kinds of marble and 
free stone which had been submitted to them. They 
recommended white marble from Hall's or from the 
Pleasantville quarry, and, furthermore, that the entire 
contract for the building of the new Cathedral be given 
to Messrs. Hall and Joyce. 

The Bureau of Contracts met again on January 10, 
1859, in the Emigrants Industrial Savings Bank, 51 
Chambers Street. Messrs. Smith, Carrigan, Rodrigue, 
and T. James Glover were present. Mr. Glover was 
the legal advisor. Mr. Renwick submitted a form of 
contract and specifications which he had prepared. 
Various alterations were suggested, and the documents 
were referred to Mr, Glover to examine and report 
upon at the next meeting. 

The Bureau of Contracts met on January 29, 1859, 



116 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

at the Emigrants Industrial Savings Bank. There were 
present the Most Rev. Archbishop, Messrs. Davis, Car- 
rigan. Smith, Mr. Glover, the counsel, and Messrs. 
Renwick and Rodrigue, the architects, and also Messrs. 
Hall and Joyce, who had submitted to His Grace a pro- 
posal for the erection of the new Cathedral. Mr. 
Glover read the form of a contract which he had drawn 
up. Mr. Renwick presented further specifications to 
the board. 

Another meeting was held on March 14, 1859, at the 
Emigrants Industrial Savings Bank. There were pres- 
ent the Most Rev. Archbishop, Messrs. Carrigan, 
Smith, Glover, Renwick, Rodrigue, Hall and Joyce, and 
also Mr. Lyon, as counsel for Hall and Joyce. Mr. 
Glover presented another draft of contract which had 
been amended in accordance with alterations suggested 
at the previous meeting. Additional amendments were 
made and the board adjourned. 

The contract with Messrs. James Renwick, Jr., and 
William Rodrigue is dated March 5, 1859. The archi- 
tects were to receive $2,500 a year for eight years. The 
Archbishop reserved the right to suspend or discon- 
tinue the building at any time. 

On October 19, 1858, the architects drew up a state- 
ment setting forth the probable cost of the Cathedral 
in four varieties of stone — glazed or brown free stone, 
olive free stone, granite, and white marble. These 
materials were examined as to the price, quality, and 
appearance. The architects recommended very strongly 
that the Cathedral be constructed in white marble. 
This section of Mr. Renwick's report reads as follows : 

Our opinion is therefore decided that there is no 
material which combines the three essentials of dura- 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 117 

bility, beauty, and economy as well as white marble. 
As regards the comparative expense of the whole 
building in the three materials, contractors estimate 
that the Cathedral will cost : 

In white marble $850,000 

In Albert Stone 800,000 

In Belleville Stone 805,000 

In Dorchester Stone 830,000 

From the above it will be seen that the building will 
cost $50,000 more than in the free stone. Our opinion 
is that the beauty and durability of the former ma- 
terial would more than justify this additional expense, 
and our belief is that if constructed of this beautiful 
material, it will be as worthy of the noble purpose to 
which it will be dedicated as the work of man's hands 
can be. 

The lowest estimate for white marble is from the 
East Chester Co. This material is like granite, unex- 
ceptionable so far as regards action of weather; objec- 
tions may be made to its color, but when I call to mind 
the Cathedral of Milan, the wonder of Europe, I can 
not but express the opinion that of all durable stones 
this is the most perfect. In Europe marble is so dear 
that it is almost considered a precious stone, and those 
buildings such as at Milan, Pisa, Florence, which are 
wholly or in part built of it, never fail to attract at- 
tention, and satisfy the taste of the learned as well as 
the unlearned in architecture. 

Mr. James Hall, President of the East Chester 
Quarry, in company with Mr. William Joyce, offered 
to build the whole Cathedral of this white marble for 
the sum of $850,000. This estimate comprised a brick 
vault for marble columns and a marble exterior, and 
everything else except the foundations and the furni- 
ture. The entire estimate was as follows : 



118 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

For marble construction $850,000 

For excavation 7,500 

For foundations 10,000 

Total $867,500 

The cubical contents were 3,613,000 cubic feet, about 
four and a half times that of Trinity Church. This 
estimate was considered remarkably low, and can be 
accounted for only by the reduced price of wages, and 
the few buildings in course of erection and in prospect. 
The plan embraced two spires forty feet higher than 
that of Trinity Church. The walls were much thicker, 
windows more elegant, the doors much more imposing, 
and the floor was to be of stone and marble. The archi- 
tect concludes : "My judgment, upon mature delibera- 
tion, is decidedly in favor of giving the contract to the 
above Company (Hall and Joyce Company). I am 
compelled to come to this opinion, first, from my ex- 
perience in builders; secondly, from the character of 
the men ; and thirdly, the quality of material — durable, 
beautiful, and almost a precious stone ; every year will 
add to its beauty, and every turn of the setting sun will 
be reflected by the spires and pinnacles, and, thus form- 
ing a link with the colors of heaven, will produce the 
effect of carrying the mind of the beholder to the true 
object of the building — the worship of the Maker of 
the universe." 

The contract, signed March 5, 1859, was given to 
Messrs. Hall and Joyce, for the construction of the en- 
tire work except the altars and furnishings. It in- 
cluded the building of the walls of the terrace and the 
flagging of the sidewalks. The Cathedral was to be 
finished on or before the first day of January, 1867. 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 119 

The cost was fixed at $850,000. The conclusion of 
the contract is unusual : 

"The parties of the second part further covenant and 
agree that they will not suffer or permit any spirituous 
liquors to be brought or used on said premises; that 
they shall instantly discharge any workman who may 
bring or use the same thereon, and that they will not 
knowingly employ any workman who shall live or 
board at any place in which spirituous liquors may be 
sold, within two blocks east or west, or four blocks 
north or south of said premises, under pain of for- 
feiture of this contract." The contract was signed, 

John Hughes, 

Archbishop of New York. 

William Joyce, 

James Hall, 

William Starrs. 
Meanwhile, Archbishop Hughes addressed the fol- 
lowing circular letter to a number of the leading Catho- 
lic gentlemen of New York on the subject of funds 
for inaugurating and carrying on the work of the 
building. 

New York, June 14, 1858. 
Gentlemen : 

The Archbishop of New York begs leave to apprise 
you that he will have the honor to call upon you per- 
sonally, at the earliest opportunity, in reference to the 
great new St. Patrick's Cathedral, to be erected on the 
block bounded by Fifth Avenue, west, and INIadison 
Avenue, east, and between Fiftieth and Fifty-first 
Streets. The building is to be 322 feet long, 97 feet 
wide in the clere, with a transept 172 feet, and an ele- 
vation of 100 feet from the floor to the crown point 
of the clerestory. The Archbishop feels authorized to 
present himself in the name of his office, of the clergy 



120 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

and laity of his Diocese, at the head of this great under- 
taking, and in order that it may be begun under divine 
as well as human auspices, he now presents this first 
portion of his plan to those only who may be able and 
disposed under noble impulses to aid him in carrying 
it out. In the name of the Father and of the Son and 
of the Holy Ghost, Amen ! We propose, for the glory 
of Almighty God, for the honor of the Blessed and Im- 
maculate Virgin, for the exaltation of holy Mother 
Church, for the dignity of our ancient and glorious 
Catholic name, to erect a Cathedral in the city of New 
York that may be worthy of our increasing numbers, 
intelligence, and wealth as a religious community, and, 
at all events, worthy, as a public architectural monu- 
ment, of the present and prospective crowns of this 
metropolis of the American Continent. The ultimate 
success of this undertaking is yet doubtful, but its 
triumphal accomplishment will depend in a great meas- 
ure on the responses which I am to receive from those 
to whom I have the honor of addressing this letter. The 
object only is to ascertain whether there are not in my 
Diocese, or rather in the city of New York itself, one 
hundred persons who will subscribe $1,000 each, once 
for all, to be paid in quarterly installments, if they de- 
sire it, during the first year, and to be expressly and ex- 
clusively appropriated to carry on the work during the 
same period. No other appeal shall be made to the 
Catholic body until toward the end of this first year, 
dating from the fifteenth of August, 1858. In about a 
year from that time, it is my intention, and I think with 
reasonable hopes of success, to call for another 
$100,000 from those who can contribute in sums less 
than $1,000, but not less than $100 each. The success 
of the second year will depend on that of the first. In- 
dependent of the amounts thus provided at the com- 
mencement, the moral effect of such a noble beginning 
will be equivalent in importance to the amounts sub- 
scribed through the influence of example. It will sus- 
tain the heart of the people at large. It will inspire 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 121 

them with an ardent desire to see this great work ac- 
compHshed; it will stimulate them to an honorable ri- 
valship in their liberal contributions, according to their 
means, and thus I anticipate that, allowing five years for 
its completion, there should not be a single suspension 
of the work. Everything depends on the first year. 
My principle is to pay as we proceed, up to an amount 
of half a million dollars ; and if at that point it should 
be necessary to obtain a loan of two or three hundred 
thousand dollars, I do not think that this need frighten 
any one. But I should not wish it to be consecrated in 
my lifetime until it is finished from the foundation 
stone to the top of the cross on the uplifted spires. 
Whether I succeed or not in the object of this com- 
munication, I shall, with the help of God, bless and de- 
posit the corner-stone on the feast of the Assumption 
of this year, viz.: the fifteenth of August, precisely at 
four o'clock in the afternoon. 

If, what I can not anticipate, I should be unsuccess- 
ful in the object of this appeal, the corner-stone shall 
be laid the same, and protected by an iron railing against 
possible injury until the arrival of better times. I may 
not have the consolation of seeing it consecrated, but I 
can not leave for m.y successor the honor and great 
privilege of seeing it begun. The names of subscribers 
to this first expenditure shall be engrossed on parch- 
ment and deposited with other memorials in the cavity 
of the corner-stone, where, though unseen by men, they 
will ever be under the eyes and inspection of God, and 
will turn up for honor and mercy on the Day of Judg- 
ment. These names, however, of the first founders of 
the new St. Patrick's Cathedral will be handed down to 
posterity, embalmed in the traditions and cherished in 
the memories of future generations, a glorious example 
and distinction, not only to the people of New York, 
but also to the whole United States and the whole 
Catholic world. 

•f-JOHN, 

Archbishop of New York. 



122 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

One hundred and three persons subscribed one thou- 
sand dollars each. Of these, two were non-Catholic 
gentlemen who in this substantial form expressed their 
high appreciation of the structure as an ornament to the 
metropolis of the country. The names of the sub- 
scribers to the Archbishop's appeal will be found in 
the Appendix. 

The following extracts from the letters of Arch- 
bishop Hughes to Father Bernard Smith, Rome, will 
give the reader an insight into the lofty motives that 
inspired the great prelate to begin an undertaking so 
colossal in those days. 

New York, June 16, 1858. 

I am preparing to lay the corner-stone of our great 
new Cathedral on Sunday, the fifteenth of August, at 
four o'clock P.M. It is to be Gothic, 322 feet long, 97 
feet wide, a transept of 172 feet and an elevation from 
floor to crown point of ceiling in clerestory of 100 
feet. I suppose it will cost one million dollars. I 
am not obliged to be alive when it shall be completed, 
but I think it is my duty to see it begun. Its locality is 
the most elevated and most central in the city. It can 
not be built in less than five years, which, considering 
the facilities with which great works can be accom- 
plished in this country, appears a long time. 

New York, August 6, 1858. 
I am exceedingly busy preparing for the laying of the 
corner-stone on the feast of the Assumption, the fif- 
teenth inst. All the Bishops of this Province have 
most kindly consented to give solemnity to the occa- 
sion by their presence. There are one hundred and 
twenty boys in preparation for responding to the choir 
and the clergy in chanting the appropriate Psalms. Of 
course the whole ceremony on the scale which I have 
projected it will produce a sensation in this new coun- 
try. 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 123 

New York, August 12, 1858. 
I have not been more than twenty hours altogether 
in making these visits to collect money for the new 
Cathedral, and I think it will speak well for the Catho- 
lics of New York that more than one hundred have 
given one thousand dollars each for the first year, as 
laid down in the circular. 

The Archbishop preached the sermon at the laying of 
the corner-stone on August 15th. What joy must have 
filled his heart as he rose to address an audience of 
one hundred thousand people! Some passages of his 
eloquent discourse will be most interesting to Catholics 
of to-day. 

At the opening of his discourse, the Archbishop re- 
turned thanks to the visiting prelates, to his own clergy, 
and to the vast numbers of the faithful who had come 
to witness the laying of the corner-stone. He thanked 
in a special manner those Catholics who had given such 
a generous response to his appeal for subscriptions. 
"Next to Almighty God," he continued, "the corner- 
stone of this Cathedral is to be laid under the auspices 
of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Its special patron is 
announced as the glorious Apostle of Ireland, St. Pat- 
rick, originally selected as patron of the first Cathedral 
commenced by our Catholic ancestors in Mott Street, 
fifty-two years ago. Their undertaking was indeed an 
example of zeal and enterprise worthy of our commen- 
dation. They were few, they were very poor ; but their 
efforts were as large as the Cathedral which they pro- 
jected, and theirs were the hearts of great men. It 
might be said of them what is mentioned in the Scrip- 
tures, but in a different sense, that There were giants 
in those days.' They laid the foundation of the first 



124 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

Cathedral at a period when it is said that the Catho- 
lics of New York were not numerous enough to fill 
the small church of St. Peter in Barclay Street, and 
that ten years after, when the Cathedral was opened, it 
was necessary, during a short period, to shut up St. 
Peter's on alternate Sundays, in order to accustom the 
people to find their way to the new church, which 
was then considered to be far out of the city. Honor 
to the memory of our ancestors of that period ! 
The laws of the Catholic Church do not permit more 
than one Cathedral in one Diocese. There will be 
but one Cathedral in this ]\Ietropolitan See. It will 
be the same as it has been until the consecration of 
this church. . . . 

''The spiritual descendants of St. Patrick have been 
outcasts from their native land and have been scattered 
over the earth. You can trace their path of life through 
all the civilized countries of the world. You can trace 
them through England itself, through America, through 
India, through Australia, and though there may be no 
mark to designate the graves in which they slumber, 
still the churches which they have erected either wholly 
or in part all around the globe, to the same faith by 
which St. Patrick emancipated them from heathenism 
— these churches, I say, are most fitting headstones to 
commemorate the existence, and I may add in a Chris- 
tian sense, the honorable history of the Irish people. 
. . . On a parchment containing the names of the 
first patrons of the Cathedral now projected, the 
United States of America, Ireland, Scotland, England, 
Belgium, Spain, France, and Germany are all repre- 
sented. The names of members belonging to the 
Catholic Church from all these countries will slumber 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 125 

side by side on the parchment that engrosses them, and 
is to be deposited in the cavity of that corner-stone. 
Neither can I omit to mention that two gentlemen who 
are not CathoHcs have substantially contributed each 
the amount specified in my circular. Their motive is 
not their belief at the present moment in the Catholic 
religion, but it is that they are New Yorkers by birth — 
that they have traveled in Europe, and that they are 
ambitious to see at least one ecclesiastical edifice on 
Manhattan Island of which their native city will have 
occasion to be proud. With regard to this anticipation, 
I can only say that so far as depends on me, they shall 
not be disappointed. And now my hundred and three 
first patrons, what shall I say to you after having al- 
ready expressed my gratitude for the prompt and gen- 
erous manner with which you have responded to my 
call ? I shall say this. That you have set an example 
that will edify your brothers both here and elsewhere. 
I will say this further. That those who are to carry 
on the work for the second year will emulate that ex- 
ample, and according to their means will rival you in 
zeal and generosity. I will say once again, that until 
this Cathedral shall have been completed and crowned 
with success, your example will save me from the 
necessity of begging; or if I should have occasion to 
beg, it will furnish me with a model text. . . . You 
have given one hundred and three thousand dollars 
toward the building of a temple which can add nothing 
to the glory of God ; for His is the earth and the ful- 
ness thereof. On the other hand, this money might 
have been given to the poor. All this will be thrown 
up at you by those who are of this world, and have no 
comprehension of what is real faith, and what is real 



126 THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 

charity, and it is significant that you would seem to be- 
long in this case to the school of Christ, when He bore 
with the extravagance of Mary Magdalen pouring oint- 
ment on His sacred feet ; and your accusers, if it were 
not almost uncharitable to say so, would seem to belong 
to the school of him who carried the purse and looked 
upon the penitent Mary's offering as if it were defraud- 
ing the poor. Now I will say for you that this is a 
great work for the poor. It comes up at a time when 
they are unusually depressed. Your charity will give 
them honorable employment to a considerable extent; 
and as the world is now constituted, compensation for 
honest labor is much better than alms for the relief 
of poverty under an unavoidable pressure, which im- 
poses idleness by necessity on the working classes. 
Now when you are reproached with your extravagance, 
ask your accusers whether it is in fact a crime to pro- 
vide employment and compensation for the mechanic 
and laborer, who really belong to the substantial por- 
tion of society in all countries." 

In subsequent letters to the Rev. Bernard Smith, 
the Archbishop makes some interesting references to 
the laying of the corner-stone and its probable effect on 
the Catholic people of this city and of the nation. 

September 10, 1858. 
The multitude of the faithful, with a very large num- 
ber of Protestants, could not have been less than one 
hundred thousand. There was no disorder among the 
people, no accident occurred, and the secular papers 
without exception have spoken of the ceremony with 
kindest feelings of praise and admiration. 

January 31, 1859. 
The contract for the new Cathedral was finally set- 




.AST VI E Vv' 



THE NEW CATHEDRAL BEGUN 127 

tied on yesterday. It is to cost $850,000, independent 
of the altars, finishing of the chapels, organs, and other 
furniture. A period of eight years is allowed for its 
completion, and I have the right to suspend the work 
whenever there is a deficiency of moneys in cash to 
carry it on. It is a gigantic undertaking, but it will 
be finished at some period, and from that time the 
CathoHc Church will occupy the first place in a certain 
popular sense among the people of this immense city 
and more or less throughout the country. 

The great prelate saw further into the future than 
most of his contemporaries. The site of the new Cathe- 
dral in 1858 was as much a wilderness as the site of old 
St. Patrick's was in 1808. Many looked upon the build- 
ing of a magnificent Cathedral at Fifth Avenue and 
Fiftieth Street as a reckless undertaking; some even 
ridiculed it. The eloquent discourse of Archbishop 
Hughes at the laying of the corner-stone put courage 
into the most timid. Seven Bishops and one hundred 
and thirty priests witnessed the impressive ceremony. 
For two years the work progressed rapidly. The 
foundations were laid and the construction was carried 
up to the water-table. All the funds collected, $73,000, 
had been spent, and the Archbishop decided to discon- 
tinue the work until the necessary means were at hand. 
The Civil War (1861-1865) brought on distress and 
further retarded the construction. 

Meanwhile, death claimed the illustrious prelate ; be- 
fore his eyes could behold tlie glorious temple which 
he had planned on earth, they were opened to the in- 
finite beauty of the heavenly Jerusalem: "Ccclestis 
urhs Jerusalem: Beata pads visio." 



CHAPTER II. 

The Completion of the New Cathedral. 

Cathedral Fair. — Dedication May 25, 1879. — 
First Consecration. — Translation of Archbishop 
Hughes^ Remains. — Cardinal McCloskey's Golden 
Jubilee. — The Cardinal's Death. — Installation 
OF Archbishop Corrigan. — Spires Erected. — Epis- 
copal Jubilee of Archbishop Corrigan. — His 
Death. — Synods and Provincial Councils. — In- 
stallation OF Archbishop Farley. — Cathedral 
Parish. 

The appointment of the Right Rev. John McCloskey, 
Bishop of Albany, to succeed Archbishop Hughes in 
the See of New York, May 6, 1864, was fortunate for 
the Diocese and for the Cathedral. To his persever- 
ance, financial ability, high intelligence, and refined 
taste are due the completion of the work in a manner 
worthy of the great mind that had inaugurated it. The 
Cathedral had reached the water-table when operations 
were suspended. Shortly after the war. Archbishop 
McCloskey resumed the construction, and completed it 
with the exception of the spires. He personally super- 
vised the work, and twice, in 1874, and in 1878, while 
in Europe, contracted for the furnishings, such as 
altars, sanctuary decorations, and windows. 

On October 22, 1878, a fair was opened in the 
Cathedral by the Mayor of New York, the Hon. Mr. 
Ely, in the presence of Cardinal McCloskey, Bishop 
Fabre, of Montreal, and Bishop Conroy, of Albany. 
Twenty-five thousand people were present. The 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 129 

Mayor, in his opening remarks, expressed his great 
pleasure that New York possessed the most superb 
ecclesiastical structure on the American Continent. He 
was impressed by the cosmopolitan gathering in the 
Cathedral that night, and also adverted to the refining 
influence which such a structure would have on all the 
people of the city. Forty-five parishes of the Diocese 
were represented at the fair by parochial tables. The 
fair closed on November 30th. The total receipts 
amounted to $172,625.48, distributed as follows : 

St. Patrick's Cathedral $12,786.40 

St. Francis Xavier 8,324.08 

St. James 7,294.42 

St. Vincent Ferrer 7,244. 19 

St. Michael 6,259.60 

St. Agnes 5,055.20 

Nativity 5,048.32 

St. John the Evangelist 3,823.16 

St. Stephen 3,568.68 

St. Boniface 3,568.50 

St. Lawrence 3,396.78 

St. Joseph 3,169.52 

Sacred Heart 3,166.69 

St. Mary 3,116.71 

Annunciation 1,456.71 

St. Teresa 1,346.97 

The Assumption 1,275.77 

St. Vincent de Paul 1,130.70 

St. Francis of Assisi 1,001.20 

St. John the Baptist 945.72 

Our Lady of Sorrows 734.26 

St. Andrew 3,010.54 

St. Jerome 3,000.00 

Holy Innocents 2,690.94 

St. Gabriel 2,509.08 

St. Paul, Harlem 2,350.09 



130 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Immaculate Conception .$ 2,348.58 

St. Paul the Apostle 2,329.36 

St. Ann 2,327.96 

St. Peter 2,118.53 

Most Holy Redeemer 2,106.33 

Transfiguration 2,067.18 

Holy Cross 2,035.34 

St. Rose of Lima 2,026.65 

St. Colomba 2,000.71 

St. Anthony 1,933.86 

St. Bernard 1,874.30 

Holy Name 1,802.11 

St. Elizabeth 1,752.72 

St. Cecilia 1,734.27 

Epiphany 1,708.71 

St. Joseph, Harlem 1,522.88 

St. Brigid 1,502.57 

Refreshment Table 5,369.50 

Floral PaviHon 2,931.51 

Journal of the Fair 2,629.00 

Hat and Cloak Room, etc 1,780.60 

Donations : 

Rt. Rev. Bishop Loughlin, Brooklyn 500.00 

The Rev. P. Egan 300.00 

The Rev. C. R. Corley 200.00 

The Rev. P. F. McSweeney 50.00 

Mr. T. W. Tone 100.00 

The Rev. M. J. McSwiggan 25.00 

The Rev. J. Fitzsimmons 25.00 

Cash 2.50 

From other sources 28,318.08 

Total $172,625.48 

A most interesting "Journal" was published during 
the fair, under the able direction of John Mullaly. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral was formally opened and 
blessed on the feast of St. Gregory VH., Pope and Con- 
fessor, May 25, 1879. The newspapers of the day 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 131 

hailed the new Cathedral as the noblest temple ever 
raised in any land to the memory of St. Patrick, and 
as the glory of Catholic America. The long procession 
of priests and of religious in their distinctive habits was 
a most impressive sight. The Cardinal made the exter- 
nal circuit of the Cathedral and blessed it. The Pon- 
tifical Mass was then celebrated. Thirty-five Bishops 
and six Archbishops honored the occasion with their 
presence. The sermon w^as preached by Bishop Ryan, 
coadjutor to the Archbishop of St. Louis, at present 
Archbishop of Philadelphia. The sermon was worthy 
of the greatest preacher of the American Church : "Joy 
holy and exultant fills our hearts to-day as we go into 
this glorious house of the Lord. This joy is universal. 
You, Most Eminent Cardinal Archbishop, rejoice, be- 
cause you behold this your great work accomplished, 
crowned by the magnificent ceremony of this morning. 
. . . and you. Most Reverend, Right Reverend, and 
Reverend brothers of the episcopacy and the clergy, re- 
joice, for you behold in the magnitude and majesty of 
this temple the evidence that the spirit of the ages of 
faith still lives on — that the spirit that planned and 
erected the vast Cathedrals of the Old World survives 
in the men of this New World, and here are found 
heads to conceive, and hands to execute, and hearts to 
love the glorious monuments that shall until posterity 
be erected — that in the utilitarian nineteenth century, 
Catholic faith retains all its fidelity and all its beauty. 
The men of this age have said to us that we could 
possess no more Cathedrals like those of past ages, be- 
cause the faith that built them was dying or dead. Be- 
hold the splendid refutation of this charge ! And also, 
you, my dear brethren of the laity, I well know what a 



132 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

flood of joy and gratitude to God inundates your hearts 
to-day, as you behold this offspring of your piety and 
generosity consecrated to your good God! You, the 
rich CathoUcs of this metropoHs, have nobly done what 
was at once your duty and your highest pleasure in 
giving openly of your means to erect this temple, and 
you are justly proud of it. And what shall I say to you 
— the children of toil — who have given so generously 
and so constantly of your scanty means, at the call 
of your devoted pastor? I know and feel how happy 
you are this morning under this roof of your Father's 
house. I know how you glory in what has been said, 
as if in reproach, 'that the great Cathedral of New 
York was built chiefly "by the pennies of the poor." ' 
The pennies of the poor ! The most sacred offering to 
Him whose first temple on earth, the first spot where 
His body and blood, soul and divinity were tabernacled, 
was the stable of Bethlehem. . . . It is appropriate 
that the poor whom He so honored should aid to build 
His house, which is also their house and home. We ac- 
cept, then, the imagined reproach as an honor, and we 
ask in turn where in this great city hath the thousands 
of bondholders erected a temple like this temple, built 
up and adorned by 'the pennies of the poor' ? Fearless 
and alone, it stands above all churches here, as the faith 
which inspired its erection is superior to all creeds. It 
shows what poverty with faith can do, and that the 
Church has the mark of Christ upon it. 'The poor you 
have always with you.' I am satisfied, too, beloved 
brethren, that the liberal non-Catholics of New York 
rejoice in the consummation of this great work. They 
behold the greatest church edifice of the New World, 
the ornament of their city, the temple of religious art. 




\AAEST A^IEW 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 133 

and the powerful means of preserving morality 
amongst those who shall worship within its walls." 

The preacher then paid a glowing tribute to the 
steadfastness of the faith of the Irish people. "To- 
day," he concluded, "the eyes and hearts of that de- 
voted race in every part of the world are turned to this 
scene. Here they behold the greatest temple of the 
New World dedicated to God under the invocation of 
their national saint, and forever more it shall be known 
as St. Patrick's Cathedral of New York." The Holy 
Father sent his blessing and congratulations to Cardi- 
nal McCloskey, who cabled the following reply: 

To His Eminence, Cardinal Nina, 
Secretary of State to His Holiness, 

Rome. 
Thirty-nine Archbishops and Bishops unite with me 
in thanking our beloved Holy Father, Leo XHL, for 
his kind congratulations and blessing, and in praying 
God to grant long life and every good gift from on 
high to His Holiness. 

John, Cardinal McCloskey, 

Archbishop of New York. 

The first Bishop consecrated in the new Cathedral 
was the Right Rev. Michael J. O'Farrell, Bishop of 
Trenton, N. J. The Consecrator was Cardinal Mc- 
Closkey. 

On January 30, 1883, the remains of the illustrious 
Archbishop Hughes were transferred from the vault 
in old St. Patrick's Cathedral, and solemnly deposited 
in the archiepiscopal crypt of the Cathedral which he 
had founded. It was a memorable day in the history 
of both the old and the new Cathedrals. The coffin 
was placed on a catafalque in the old Cathedral, so as 



134 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

to allow the faithful to gather and kneel for the last 
time at the feet of the great prelate who had rendered 
such glorious service to religion in this See. Monday 
evening the remains were privately transferred to the 
new Cathedral, where they were met at the door by 
Cardinal McCloskey, who had been the coadjutor of 
the deceased. The coffin was deposited on a cata- 
falque, and Archbishop Corrigan gave the absolution. 
Crowds passed in and out of the Cathedral to say a 
prayer for the soul of their beloved shepherd, and 
throughout the night many kept watch over the re- 
mains. On Tuesday morning the Pontifical Alass of 
Requiem was celebrated by Archbishop Corrigan. 
Cardinal McCloskey occupied the throne, and was at- 
tended by his Vicars, Monsignors Ouinn and Preston. 
A few relatives of the deceased Archbishop were pres- 
ent: Mr. John J. Rodrigue, a son of Archbishop 
Hughes' youngest sister; Mrs. Eugene Kelly, a niece, 
and Mr. Eugene Kelly and the members of his family. 
The panegyric was pronounced by Monsignor Preston. 
The five absolutions at the end of the Mass were given 
by Archbishop Corrigan, Bishop McQuaid, Bishop 
Lx)ughlin, Bishop McNeirny, and Cardinal McCloskey. 
The coffin was then reverently lifted from the bier and, 
followed by the clergy, was borne to the crypt beneath 
and in front of the high altar. There, in the first of 
a series of cuhilia, destined for the Archbishops of 
New York, John Hughes, its first Archbishop, was laid 
to rest. 

The fiftieth anniversary of the ordination of His 
Eminence, Cardinal McCloskey, occurred Saturday, 
June 12, 1884. On that day a Solemn Pontifical Mass 
was celebrated in the Cathedral by the Right Rev. 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 135 

John Loughlin, Bishop of Brooklyn. Archbishop Cor- 
rigan, then coadjutor of New York, Bishops McQuaid, 
Conroy, Ryan, McNeirny, Wadhams, Wigger, O'Far- 
rell, and Spalding assisted in cope and miter. The cere- 
mony was also attended by the Right Rev. Monsignori 
Quinn, Preston, Doane, and Seton, and by an immense 
gathering of the clergy and laity. The Cardinal Arch- 
bishop did not appear in the sanctuary until after the 
Post Communion. He gave the Pontifical Benediction 
at the close of the Mass, and then heard the addresses 
read in behalf of the Bishops of the Province of New 
York, by Bishop Loughlin ; of the Diocese, by Monsig- 
nor Quinn, the Vicar General; of the Christian Broth- 
ers, by Brother Justin ; of the laity by the Hon. John 
E. Devlin. A statue of His Eminence was unveiled. 
Mr. John O'Brien made the presentation address. The 
venerable Cardinal made a most touching reply to 
these many manifestations of affection and esteem and 
some of his words are worth recording. After thank- 
ing the prelates, the clergy and the laity, he said : "On 
this occasion I can not but contrast the scene of to-day 
with that which occurred fifty years ago in the old 
St. Patrick's Cathedral. There was only one Bishop 
and two priests in the sanctuary and not many people 
in the church. That Bishop was Bishop Dubois, who 
consecrated my hands with the sacerdotal unction, and 
the two priests, one his Vicar General, Very Rev. Dr. 
Power and the other the Rev. Dr. Pise; and to-day, 
the fiftieth anniversary of that event, I behold this 
sanctuary filled with the Bishops of my Province and 
the faithful clergy of my Diocese, and this great 
Cathedral, whose foundations were laid by my illus- 
trious predecessor, crowded to overflowing with my de- 



136 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

voted people. For all this I have only to thank God, 
who has spared me in His goodness to witness the 
glory of this day and the wonderful fruits of the 
mustard seed." 

The clergy on this occasion presented to His Emi- 
nence the beautiful marble pulpit which is one of the 
finest ornaments of the Cathedral's interior. Pope Leo 
Xni. presented Cardinal McCloskey with a chaHce, 
and sent a letter of congratulation. 

The Cardinal in a sermon preached in Brooklyn, 
drew a delightful picture of his early years, when his 
devout mother led her little boy by the hand on Sunday 
mornings down to the strand of the East River — 
Brooklyn had no wharves then — and crossed the stream 
in a rowboat or in the primitive horse- ferry that they 
both might attend Mass in the little red brick church in 
Barclay Street. In 1826, during the Cardinal's boy- 
hood, he being then sixteen years of age, there were 
but three churches in New York and only six priests, 
and about twelve in the entire Diocese. In 1834, when 
the Cardinal was ordained priest, there were fifteen 
churches in New York, and about twenty priests in the 
Diocese, embracing the entire city and a part of New 
Jersey. 

In 1854, twenty years after the Cardinal's ordina- 
tion as priest, there were forty-five churches and eight 
chapels — one hundred and two priests, four asylums 
and hospitals, and a population of about 250,000. 

In 1884, when he celebrated his golden jubilee, there 
were one hundred and sixty-seven churches, forty-nine 
chapels, three hundred and eighty priests, and twenty- 
nine asylums in the Diocese of New York, with a popu- 
lation of 600,000. There were eight Dioceses where 




copypiOMT /ass a 



TOORMURL & COLOR CO 



NORTH TRANSEPT. 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 137 

there had been but one, with over twelve hundred 
priests, nine hundred and fifty churches and chapels, 
one hundred asylums or charitable institutions, and a 
Catholic population of over 1,400,000. 

His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey departed this life 
on October 10, 1885. From all parts of the world 
came telegrams and messages of condolence to the 
widowed Church of New York. On Tuesday morn- 
ing, October 13th, the remains of the Cardinal were 
translated to the Cathedral and placed on a catafalque, 
so inclined that they were visible from the distant door 
of the Cathedral. He was clad in pontifical robes, 
wearing the miter, pallium, and violet vestments. The 
Cardinal's hat was placed at his feet. The members of 
the St. Vincent de Paul Society acted as a guard of 
honor during the two days that the body lay in state 
in the Cathedral. Every evening at four o'clock the 
Archbishop and clergy sang the office for the dead. 
The solemn funeral services were held on Thursday, 
the fifteenth. At nine o'clock, the procession of the 
clergy moved from the orphan asylum and proceeded 
to the Cathedral to chant the divine office. The Pon- 
tifical Mass of Requiem followed immediately. The 
celebrant was the Archbishop-elect of New York, the 
Most Reverend M. A. Corrigan. The panegyric was 
preached by the Most Reverend James Gibbons, Arch- 
bishop of Baltimore. 

"Your venerated Cardinal," he said, "has left you 
at his death two great monuments of his zeal, and two 
great legacies of his love — the Catholic Protectory and 
this noble Cathedral, the grandest in the United States 
— which will stand as lasting monuments of his zeal 
for religion and humanity. He has left you two pre- 



138 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

cious legacies of his love — first, the legacy of his pure 
and unsullied life as priest, Bishop, Archbishop, and 
Cardinal; he leaves you another precious legacy, in 
the person of his gifted successor." 

After the eulogy, the Archbishops and Bishops as- 
sembled around the bier for the final absolutions, which 
were given by Archbishop Gibbons, Archbishop Wil- 
liams, Archbishop Ryan, Bishop Loughlin, of Brook- 
lyn, and Archbishop Corrigan. The coffin was raised 
on the shoulders of the ministers and borne through the 
sanctuary behind the great altar, and then into the 
vault beneath. There he lies, beside his great pre- 
decessor, Archbishop Hughes. The following record 
of the Cardinal's life was enclosed in a case and de- 
posited in his coffin : 

I. H. S. 

His Eminence, 

The Most Reverend John McCloskey, 

Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, 

AND Archbishop of New York. 

Born in Brooklyn, L. I., N. Y., March 10, 1810. 

Ordained Priest, January 12, 1834. 

Appointed Pastor of St. Joseph's, New York, 

November 1, 1837. 

Named first President of St. John's College, 

Fordham, New York, 1842, still retaining 

charge of St. Joseph's. 

Consecrated Bishop of Axiere in Partibus, 

and Coadjutor to Bishop Hughes of New York, 

cum jure successiords, 

March 18, 1844. 

Translated to the new Diocese of Albany, 

May 21, 1847. 

Promoted to the Archiepiscopal See of New York, 

May 6, 1864. 

Created Cardinal Priest of the Holy Roman 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 139 

Church, under the title of Sancta Maria 

supra Minervam, March 15, 1875. 

Died October 10, 1885. 

R. I. P. 

The inscription on the tomb is as follows : 

Johannes 

Tit. S. Mariae supra Minervam 

S. R. E. Presb. Cardinalis McCloskey 

Archiepiscopus Secundus 

Neo-Eboracensis, 

vixit an LXXV. Obit. Oct. MDCCCLXXXV 

(Coat-of-Arms). 

In Spent Vitce AiterncB. 

The Most Rev. M. A. Corrigan was solemnly in- 
stalled as the third Archbishop of New York on Thurs- 
day, March 4, 1886. The pallium was brought from 
Rome by Archbishop Elder of Cincinnati. His Grace 
was received at the western portal of the Cathedral, 
by the Right Rev. Vicar General Quinn, the rector. 
The Rev. Dr. McSweeney, rector of St. Brigid's, read 
an address before the throne in the name of the clergy 
of the Archdiocese. The Archbishop in reply ex- 
pressed his great pleasure at receiving such assurances 
of affection and cooperation, and commended his work 
to all the clergy, of whose zeal and loyalty he had had 
so many evidences. The Pontifical Mass was sung by 
Archbishop Elder of Cincinnati. The sermon was de- 
livered by the Most Rev. P. J. Ryan, Archbishop of 
Philadelphia. 

"The first thought that strikes one," he said, "on 
beholding the magnificent scene of this morning, is the 
strangely impressive contrast it affords to another 
scene witnessed by most of us in this Cathedral a few 
short months ago. A great priest who in his day 



140 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

pleased God and was found just, had fallen by the 
hand of death. His priests and people met in sorrow 
around his bier. This great Cathedral which he built, 
adorned, and dedicated, clothed in mourning, seemed 
to grieve for him, and that grief seemed voiced in the 
plaintive tones of the ]\Iass of Requiem. We saw him 
still clothed in full pontificals, with the pallium, the 
symbol of the plenitude of power, around his neck; 
descending into 'the house of his eternity,' into the 
Cathedral of death beneath this sanctuary, where from 
his darksome throne death rules the former rulers of 
the Cathedrals of the living. There he sleeps, with his 
predecessor in this great See. . . . How is it pos- 
sible not to revert to him who has gone when every- 
thing around speaks of him, when Bishops and priests 
whom he ruled so long, so wisely, and so gently, are 
congregated here, when the very marble pulpit in which 
I stand, and from which the Word of God is to-day 
for the first time announced, was his last gift to this 
Cathedral, and is itself now an appropriate monument 
to the grace and solidity of his own eloquence? . . . 
Here between Life and Death — Life Essential within 
the tabernacle and Death beneath the sanctuary — here 
kneeling on the very grave of his predecessor, the suc- 
cessor of the dead Archbishop receives the symbol of 
power which never dies, communicated by the Church 
of the living God, which shares His immortality." 

The pallium was then conferred by Archbishop Gib- 
bons of Baltimore, who had been specially delegated 
by the Holy See for that purpose. 

The spires of the Cathedral were completed in the 
early part of October, 1888. When the Cathedral was 
dedicated, the spires were on the level with the roof of 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 141 

the building. They were left in that condition until 
the fall of 1885, when the work was resumed. The 
work was given under contract to George Mann & Co., 
of Baltimore, and was executed without a single ac- 
cident to any person employed on the spires. On Sun- 
day, October 14, 1888, Archbishop Corrigan preached 
at the High Mass and estimated the cost of the spires 
at $200,000, of which $120,000 had been contributed 
by the faithful. The cost of the Cathedral was con- 
siderably more than the original estimate, because the 
work originally begun under contract was interrupted 
by the war. Afterward it was resumed by day's work, 
and this system was followed until its dedication. 
Later in 1885, the spires were built under contract. The 
cost of the building of the Cathedral before the erec- 
tion of the spires has been estimated at one million, 
nine hundred thousand dollars. Mr. Renwick put the 
total cost between two million and two million, five 
hundred thousand dollars, and added that the latter 
figure was probably the more correct. Up to the pres- 
ent, the Cathedral has cost about four million dollars. 
On May 4, 1887, more than two hundred priests 
assembled in the Cathedral on the fourteenth anniver- 
sary of the consecration of Archbishop Corrigan, and 
presented an address of loyalty and esteem. Arch- 
bishop Corrigan celebrated his silver jubilee as a priest 
on September 27, 1888. It was a memorable celebra- 
tion, and the illustrious prelate received addresses of 
congratulation from the clergy, the laity, tlie Christian 
Brothers, the alumni and students of the American 
College, Rome, St. John's College, St. Francis Xavier's, 
the Superior Council of St. Vincent de Paul, and from 
the Catholics of the distant Bahamas. The Pontifical 



142 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop. Vicar Gen- 
eral Donnelly read the address of the clergy from the 
pulpit, and Mr. William Hildreth Field read the con- 
gratulations of the laity from the sanctuary. Among 
the gifts presented to the Archbishop was a donation 
of $10,000 from Mr. Eugene Kelly, to be devoted to 
the new seminary. 

On April 25, 1892, the Right Rev. Charles E. Mc- 
Donnell was consecrated Bishop of Brooklyn by Arch- 
bishop Corrigan. The assistant Consecrators were 
Bishop McQuaid of Rochester, and Bishop Chatard 
of Vincennes. 

Perhaps the most impressive celebration connected 
with the Columbian Centennial in October, 1892, was 
the Pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving in St. Patrick's 
Cathedral. The sanctuary of the Cathedral was a 
mass of floral decorations. Palms from the Bahamas 
were of particular interest, because they came from 
the very spot where the great discoverer is said to have 
landed first. American flags were gracefully draped 
on the coat-of-arms of Columbus and on that of the 
United States, and also on the pulpit, reading desk, 
and sounding board, while outside the sacred edifice 
three large flags were stretched from tower to tower. 
Archbishop Corrigan was the celebrant. At the close 
of the Mass, a solemn Te Deum was chanted, after 
which the organ and orchestra played the national 
anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." 

On Sunday, April 23, 1893, the Duke de Veragua, 
who was the head of tiie eleventh generation in lineal 
descent of Christopher Columbus, assisted at Mass in 
the Cathedral. He was accompanied by his wife, the 
Duchess Elizabeth de Aguilera ; his daughter, Marquesa 








ronize: door or train! s e t='T. 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 143 

Maria del Pilar, a young lady of eighteen years; his 
son, Christopher Columbus de Aguilera, fourteen years 
of age; his brother, the Marquis de Barboles, and his 
suite. They had arrived only the day before and made 
their first visit to the Cathedral. Special places were 
arranged for them between the sanctuary and the 
pews. 

On Sunday, May 28, 1893, Princess Eulalie, the 
Infanta of Spain, assisted at High Mass in state at the 
Cathedral. At ten minutes to eleven o'clock, accom- 
panied by her husband and her suite, and by the Hon. 
Joseph J. O'Donohue, City Chamberlain, as representa- 
tive of the Municipal Committee of Reception, the 
Princess left the Savoy Hotel, and wa§ escorted to the 
Cathedral by the Old Guard. As Princess Eulalie 
alighted in front of the Cathedral, the Old Guard was 
drawn up in three columns and presented arms. She 
entered the church on the arm of Mr. O'Donohue. At 
the foot of the center aisle she was met by the Very 
Rev. Joseph F. Mooney, Vicar General, representing 
the Archbishop, and Father Lavelle, the rector of the 
Cathedral. The Vicar General presented to her the 
crucifix and the holy water. She then proceeded with 
her suite to the places set apart for them in front of the 
sanctuary rail. The ofiicers of the Old Guard fol- 
lowed her into the church, and remained during the 
Solemn Mass. 

On the fifteenth of August, 1893, the Most Reverend 
Francis Satolli, Apostolic Delegate to the United 
States, celebrated Pontifical Mass in the Cathedral. 
His Grace Archbishop Corrigan made an address in 
which he set forth the relations of the Bishops to the 
Holy See. "Thank God," he said, 'loyalty and fealty 



144 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

to the Holy See have ever been shining and character- 
istic traits of this country at large, as well as this Dio- 
cese in particular. Each of the Plenary Councils in 
turn, in its collective address to the Sovereign Pontiff, 
each in its decrees has given luminous proof of deep 
and unswerving attachment to the See of Peter. No 
less conspicuous evidence of the same devotedness has 
been displayed by the prelates. Bishops and Arch- 
bishops, who have ruled this Diocese. Of the addresses, 
sermons, and pastoral letters of the late Archbishop 
Hughes in defence of Pius IX. and of his inalienable 
rights, it is unnecessary to speak. ... I may men- 
tion particularly the pastoral letter of the second Pro- 
vincial Council of New York, held in 1860 — a letter 
written by the Archbishop himself, and which gave so 
much pleasure to the Holy Father that he ordered it 
translated into Italian and published officially in the 
Eternal City. For the rest, I rejoice most sincerely 
with you all to-day, dear brethren, that we are honored 
with the presence of him who represents the Vicar of 
Christ Himself, and in your name as in my own, I wel- 
come him most cordially to this Diocese." 

On December 21, 1895, the Cathedral witnessed the 
consecration of the Right Rev. John M. Farley as 
Titular Bishop of Zeugma and Auxiliary Bishop of 
New York. The Consecrator was Archbishop Corri- 
gan. Bishop McDonnell of Brooklyn, and Bishop 
Gabriels of Ogdensburg were the assistant Consecra- 
tors. Bishop McQuaid delivered the sermon. 

On May 4, 1898, Archbishop Corrigan celebrated in 
the Cathedral the twenty-fifth anniversary of his con- 
secration. This jubilee celebration will be forever 
memorable, because of the splendid testimonial pre- 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 145 

sented to the Archbishop by the clergy and people of 
the Diocese. It was on this occasion that they paid 
off the mortgage on St. Joseph's Seminary at Dun- 
woodie, amounting to $250,000. Of this sum $176,000 
came from the wealthy Catholics of New York, and 
the rest from the churches, the clergy, and people. The 
Pontifical Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Corri- 
gan. The sermon was preached by Archbishop Ryan. 
Among those present were Bishops McDonnell, Burke, 
Ludden, Quigley, Gabriels, McQuaid, Wigger, McFaul, 
McCloskey, Horstmann, Chatard, Montes de Oca, and 
Archbishops Ryan, Williams, Chapelle, and Archbishop 
Martinelli, the Apostolic Delegate. At the close of the 
Mass, an address was read on behalf of the clergy by 
the Rev. Father Edwards. Among other things, Arch- 
bishop Ryan said : "During his episcopate in New 
York, he has added two hundred and fifty priests to 
the Diocese, one hundred and seventy churches and 
sixty chapels, but the most substantial monument to his 
sagacity and zeal will certainly be the great seminary at 
Dunwoodie." 

Archbishop Corrigan passed away on the morning of 
May 5, 1902. His remains were transferred to the 
Cathedral on Wednesday, where the solemn office of 
the dead was chanted in the evening. The Pontifical 
Mass of Requiem was celebrated at ten o'clock on Fri- 
day morning. During the time that the body lay in 
state in the Cathedral, a continuous throng of the faith- 
ful passed in and out to take a last look at their beloved 
chief shepherd. A guard of honor from the Sixty- 
ninth Regiment was stationed outside the church on 
the day of the funeral, and saluted the procession of 
prelates and clergy as they entered. Black and purple 



146 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

were draped about the high portals of the Cathedral, 
and also in the interior around the massive columns. 
The celebrant of the Mass was His Eminence, Cardinal 
Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore. Besides the Arch- 
bishops, Bishops, mitered abbots and monsignori, there 
were nearly one thousand priests present, and from six 
to seven thousand people. The Mayor, representatives 
of the different Departments of the City Government, 
Judges of the Supreme Court, as well as State and 
Federal officials, occupied prominent places in the 
Cathedral. Mr. Roosevelt sent a wreath of flowers 
from the White House, with a simple card attached, 
"The President." 

The panegyric was preached by the Most Rev. P. J. 
Ryan, Archbishop of Philadelphia, who had occupied 
the pulpit when his deceased friend was formally in- 
stalled as the third Archbishop of New York. After 
directing attention to the sad event that had brought 
prelates and clergy, the representatives of the city 
government, and vast numbers of the faithful together, 
the preacher proceeded as follows: "We often hear 
men of the world say nowadays that the day of merely 
ascetic Bishops and priests has passed away ; asceticism 
was all well enough in the Middle Ages; we want the 
sterling public man. But the truth is, brethren, we 
want the combination of both, the combination of the 
ascetic with the public man, but the larger element of 
asceticism in that combination. Such was the departed 
Archbishop of New York. The three Archbishops of 
this See represented three features of human character. 
The Most Reverend John Hughes represented courage, 
fearless courage at a time, too, when it was needed. 
Cardinal McCloskey represented marvelous prudence. 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 147 

that won without fighting. The late Archbishop might 
be regarded as belonging to the class of Cardinal Mc- 
Closkey, yet when a principle was at stake the lamb 
became a lion, and he was found fearless as was ever 
Archbishop Hughes. . . . The Archbishop was 
himself as a rock gently yielding, mossy on the sur- 
face, but beneath all that gentleness, strength and 
power and immovability of principle were found. The 
late Cardinal McCloskey told me that Archbishop Cor- 
rigan did all that he could that his name should not be 
sent to Rome as coadjutor, with right of succession to 
this See. He was afraid of its responsibilities. . . . 
A newspaper of this city of high literary standing has 
said of the late Archbishop that as the perfume of the 
virtues of St. Francis of Assisium still remains 
amongst men, after so many centuries, so also shall 
the perfume of the virtues of Archbishop Corrigan 
survive among his people." 

The usual five absolutions were given in turn by 
Bishops McQuaid of Rochester, Ludden of Syracuse, 
Gabriels of Ogdensburg, Burke of Albany, and by His 
Eminence, the Cardinal. Before the interment, a death 
mask of the prelate was taken by Mr. Joseph Sibbel, 
the sculptor. The body was then lifted into the coffin 
just as it had been exposed to view. After the Arch- 
bishop's brothers and relatives had taken a last fare- 
well, a white linen cloth was placed over the mouth, 
and a sealed glass bottle containing a sheet of parch- 
ment on which was written the name and a short his- 
tory of the Archbishop was enclosed. The coffin was 
then sealed and deposited in the vaults underneath the 
sanctuary, where the illustrious prelate lies with his 
two distinguished predecessors. 



148 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

The inscription on the tomb reads : 

Michael Augustine Corrigan 

Assistant at the Pontifical Throne 

Third Archbishop of New York. 

The Staunch Defender of Christian Education 

Died May 5, 1902. 

May his Place he in Peace. 

During the seventeen years of Archbishop Corri- 
gan's rule, the churches, chapels, and stations of the 
Archdiocese were increased by one hundred and 
eighty-eight. 

Two hundred and eighty- four priests were added to 
the number of the clergy, seventy-five new schools 
were opened^ existing charities were fostered, and new 
ones, more than thirty in number, were supplied, viz., 
hospitals, schools for the blind, for deaf-mutes, indus- 
trial and reform schools, homes for immigrants. From 
his coming in 1880 to the close of the year 1895, he had 
confirmed 194,678 persons. 

The fourth Diocesan Synod was held on the eighth 
and ninth of November, 1882. Cardinal McCloskey 
presided. The fifth Diocesan Synod was held on No- 
vember 17 and 18, 1886.* Archbishop Corrigan 
presided. This Synod was the most important ever 
held in this Diocese. The decrees passed are distrib- 
uted under twenty titles, with two hundred and sixty- 
four numbers, and bear splendid testimony to the ad- 
ministrative ability of Archbishop Corrigan. This Synod 
summed up all the legislation of the preceding Synods 
and provided for the future needs of the Diocese with 
such accuracy and completeness that the succeeding 
Synods have done little but promulgate again the de- 

* Smith, History of Catholic Church in New York, Vol. II., p. 461. 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 149 

crees of the fifth Synod. The subjects treated in these de- 
crees comprise the meaning and importance of Catholic 
faith, the preaching of the word of God, Catholic edu- 
cation, parochial ministry, discipHne of the clergy, the 
duties and relations of rectors and assistants, the dioc- 
esan officials, the regular clergy, the Sacraments in 
general and in particular, public worship, the adminis- 
tration of churches and other ecclesiastical properties. 

"Archbishop Corrigan deserves the highest praise for 
the fine collection of useful and well written statutes 
which have ruled the Diocese so long and so well. They 
are truly a monument of his devotion and his 
learning."* 

The sixth Synod was held on November 21, 1889. 

The seventh Synod was held on November 23, 1892. 

The eighth Synod was held on November 20, 1895. 

The ninth Synod was held on November 23, 1898. 

The tenth Synod was held on November 27, 1901. 

The eleventh Synod was held on November 15, 1904. 

The twelfth Synod was held on November 26, 1907. 

The third Provincial Council was called in June, 
1861. Seven decrees were passed. In a pastoral let- 
ter issued by the Bishops, the educational authorities 
were taken to task for their proselytizing efforts in the 
public schools. 

The fourth Provincial Council was held in the last 
week of September, 1883. The Council came toward 
the close of the career of Cardinal McCloskey, and is 
a fitting testimonial to his wise and efficient administra- 
tion. The letter issued by the Bishops of the Council 
is a document of great dignity, and while acknowledg- 
ing with gratitude the liberty granted to the Church 

* Smith, History of Catholic Church in New York, Vol. II., p. 468. 



150 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

in this country, it boldly attacked the errors that were 
being propagatedj and provided means of protecting 
the faithful from the dangers to faith and morals. 

The Right Rev. John M. Farley, Auxiliary-Bishop 
of New York, was named Archbishop on September 
15, 1902. The pallium was brought from Rome by the 
Very Rev. Monsignor John P. Farrelly, D.D., Spiritual 
Director of the American College, Rome, and was sol- 
emnly conferred on August 12, 1903, by His Excel- 
lency, the Most Rev. Diomede Falconio, Apostolic 
Delegate to the United States. Addresses of congratu- 
lation were read in the name of the clergy by the Right 
Rev. Monsignor James H. AIcGean, and for the laity 
by the Hon. Morgan J. O'Brien, late Presiding Justice 
of the i\ppellate Division of the Supreme Court. 

On July 25, 1902, the Right Rev. Charles H. Colton 
was consecrated Bishop of Buffalo by Archbishop 
Farley. Bishops ^McDonnell and McQuaid were the 
assistant Consecrators. 

The Right Rev. Thomas F. Cusack, director of the 
Diocesan missionaries, was consecrated Titular Bishop 
of Themiscyra and Auxiliary Bishop of New York on 
April 25, 1904. Archbishop Farley was the Consecra- 
tor, assisted by Bishops Colton and IMcFaul. 

The Cathedral parish, in 1879, extended from the 
East River to Seventh Avenue, and from Forty-sixth 
Street to Fifty-ninth Street, with a strip reaching to 
Forty-second Street, between Madison and Sixth Ave- 
nues. Cardinal McCloskey with his secretary, the Rev. 
John M. Farley, and the Rev. James ]\Ic]\Iahon, lived 
at 32 West 5'6th Street. The Right Rev. William 
Ouinn, the Vicar-General, resided at 26 East 50th 
Street, with his assistants. 



COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 151 

About one-half of the lots on Fifth Avenue, between 
the Cathedral and Central Park, had residences, and 
there were scarcely more than one hundred houses on 
Madison Avenue north to the Harlem River. 

In May, 1880, the parish of St. John the Evangelist 
was established in the district east of Third Avenue. 

During Lent, 1880, the first mission was given by the 
Redemptorists under the Rev. F. W. Wayrich. 

The Archbishop's residence was built in 1882. The 
Cathedral rectory was occupied for the first time on 
Thursday, May 8, 1884. Both were designed by Mr. 
Renwick. 

St. Patrick's parochial school, Fiftieth Street near 
Fourth Avenue, was opened on the first Monday of 
September, 1882. The school is a brick building 
80x105 feet and cost $90,000. The first principals 
were Brother Isaac John for the Boys' Department, 
and Sister Mary Martha for the Girls'. 

On June 2, 1886, the rector of the Cathedral, Right 
Rev. Mgr. Quinn, V.G., sailed for Europe to recuper- 
ate his broken health. The Rev. M. J. Lavelle was ap- 
pointed Administrator, and succeeded to the rectorship 
on the death of Mgr. Quinn in April, 1887. About the 
same time, the League of the Sacred Heart, the Cathe- 
dral Library, the Cathedral Club, and the Holy Name 
Society were established. The clubhouse was blessed 
January 15, 1893, by Archbishop Corrigan. Father 
Lavelle was appointed a Vicar-General in October, 
1902, and the following year was promoted to the 
dignity of Domestic Prelate. 

Mgr. Lavelle celebrated the silver jubilee of his 
priesthood in 1904. He has the unique distinction of 
beginning his ministry in the Cathedral parish of which 



152 COMPLETION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

he has been the efficient rector since 1887. At the close 
of the solemn Mass sung by the Jubilarian, an address 
of congratulation from the laity was read by the Hon. 
John D. Crimmins. Monsignor Lavelle was one of the 
founders and the first President of the Catholic Sum- 
mer School. 

William F. Pecher was the musical director of the 
Cathedral until his death in 1904. The chancel choir 
until 1888 was in charge of the Rev. Anthony Lammel, 
who became pastor of St. Joseph's, in Eighty-sixth 
Street. The Rev. John A. Kellner directed this choir 
until his appointment as pastor of St. Gabriel's, New 
Rochelle, in 1892. He was succeeded by Mr. James C. 
Ungerer, who became musical director of the Cathedral 
on the death of Mr. Pecher. Mr. Joseph O'Connor is 
in charge of the chancel choir, whose members are 
carefully selected from the boys of the parochial school 
and from the students of Cathedral College, the pre- 
paratory seminary, situated on Madison Avenue from 
Fifty-first to Fifty-second Streets. The grand choir 
of thirty male voices is directed by Mr. Ungerer. The 
music conforms strictly to the instructions of Pope 
Pius X. 



CHAPTER III. 

Description of the New Cathedral. 

Exterior. — Interior. — The Lady Chapel. — The 
Altars. — The Throne. — The Pulpit. — The Sta- 
tions OF THE Cross. — The Ostensorium. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral is an example of the dec- 
orated and geometric style of Gothic architecture 
which prevailed in Europe from 1275 to 1400, and of 
which the Cathedrals of Rheims, Amiens, and Cologne, 
on the continent of Europe, and the naves of York 
Minster, Exeter, and Westminster, are among the most 
advanced examples. Though the Cathedral of New 
York is in this style, its design is as original and distinct 
as that of any of the above cathedrals ; for they, though 
in the same style of architecture, nevertheless have each 
the individual stamp of the genius and thought of their 
originators. 

The original plans were drawn by the architect, Mr. 
James Renwick, in 1853, and adopted by Archbishop 
Hughes, who contemplated a larger building than the 
one now erected. In 1857 the Archbishop directed the 
architect to reduce its dimensions : to take off the side 
aisle round the apse, and the apsidal chapel and sacris- 
ties, as the ground covered by them would be required 
for the residences of the Archbishop and clergy. These 
alterations being decided upon, the building was begun 
and carried on under the supervision of Mr. Renwick 
and his associate, Mr. Rodrigue, until the illness which 



154 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

terminated fatally rendered it impossible for the latter 
to give personal attention to business of any kind. 

Europe can boast larger cathedrals, but, for purity 
of style, originality of design, harmony of proportions, 
beauty of material, and finish of workmanship, New 
York Cathedral stands unsurpassed. It is an orna- 
ment to the city, an edifice of which every citizen of 
our great metropolis may well feel proud ; a proof that 
American architects and American artisans can hold 
their own with the architects and artisans of the Old 
World; and a proof, also, that the Catholics of New 
York, in the nineteenth century, were animated by the 
same spirit that, in the ages of faith, reared the sacred 
structures that have excited the admiration and 
wonder of cultivated and uncultivated minds for cen- 
turies. 

The ground plan of the building is that of a Latin 
cross, with nave, choir or sanctuary, and transepts, each 
being divided into a center aisle with a clerestory and 
two side aisles, by thirty-two magnificent and perhaps 
unequalled, clustered columns of white marble, from 
which spring the arches which support the walls of the 
clerestory. 

The dimensions of the building (the Lady Chapel ex- 
cluded) are as follows: 

Exterior. 

Extreme length 332 feet. 

Extreme breadth 174 

General " 132 

Towers at base 32 

Height of towers 330 

Central door 30 ft. wide, 51 '' high. 

Width of front between towers 105 




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L/KDY CHAPCU 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 155 

Interior. 

Length 306 feet. 

Breadth of nave and choir : 

Excluding chapels 96 " 

Including " 120 " 

Length of transept 140 " 

Central aisle 48 ft. wide, 112 " high. 

Side aisles 24 ft. " 54 " " 

Chapels .... 18 ft. wide, 14 ft. high, 12 " deep. 

The block upon which the Cathedral stands is rocky, 
in many places the rock coming nearly up to the sur- 
face, and in others, especially at the south transept, the 
rock being more than twenty feet below the surface 
level. Before commencing the foundation-walls, the 
rock was in all cases cut into steps affording a level 
and true bed for the cutting course. The foundations 
are of very large blocks of blue gneiss, which were laid 
by derricks in cement mortar up to the level of the 
surface. 

Above the ground-line, the first base course is of 
Dix Island granite from Maine, as is also the first 
course under all the columns and marble works of the 
interior. Above this base course the whole exterior 
of the building is of white marble from the quarries at 
Pleasantville, Westchester County, N. Y., and Lee, in 
Massachusetts, both of which are of excellent quality 
and color. The whole building is backed in with brick 
and stone masonry, with hollows in the walls for pre- 
vention of dampness and for ventilation, and is con- 
structed in the most careful manner, so that probably 
no building in this country is more stable, no crack hav- 
ing ever occurred in any part of the whole structure. 

The principal front, on Fifth Avenue, may be de- 



156 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

scribed as consisting of a central gable, with a tower 
and spire on each side of it. The gable is one hun- 
dred and fifty-six feet in height, and the towers and 
spires are each three hundred and thirty feet in height. 

The grand portal in the lower division of the cen- 
tral gable has its jambs richly decorated with columns 
with foliage capitals, and has clustered moldings, with 
rich ornaments in the arch, which is also decorated 
and fringed with a double row of foliated tracery, the 
thickness of the wall being twelve feet six inches, and 
the whole surface or depth of the door being encrusted 
with marble. It is intended at some future period to 
place the statues of the Twelve Apostles in the coves 
of the jambs of this portal in rich tabernacles of white 
marble. A transom of beautiful foliage, with emblem- 
atic designs, crosses the opening of the door at the 
spring line of the arch, over which a window, with 
beautiful tracery, fills in the tympanum or arch. 

The gablet over the main portal is richly panelled 
with tracery, having a shield bearing the arms of the 
Diocese in the central panel. The label over the gable 
is crocketed with crockets of a very beautiful and 
original design of the grape-vine and morning-glory, 
intertwined and alternating in the crockets, and the 
whole is terminated by a very rich and beautiful finial. 
The door is flanked on either side by buttresses ter- 
minating in panelled pinnacles, and between these but- 
tresses and the tower buttresses are niches for statues. 

The horizontal balustrade over the first story is of 
rich pierced tracery. Over this and across the whole 
gable, except where interspersed by the gable over 
the central portal, is a row of niches, seven feet six 
inches high, for statues. These niches are decorated 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 157 

by columns with foliage capitals and gablets, with 
tracery and finials, and are hereafter to be filled with 
statues of saints and martyrs. Above these niches a 
richly molded Gothic jamb, with an equilateral arch, 
encloses a magnificent rose window, twenty-six feet in 
diameter, a marvel of Gothic tracery of beautiful and 
original design, equalling those of the greatest of the 
cathedrals of Europe. 

Above this window the main gable is carried up to 
the roof lines, and is veiled by a pierced screen of rich 
tracery, terminated by a label-cornice which is 
crocketed. The crockets are designed from the leaves 
and flowers of the passion-flower, and rise up the gable, 
and entwine and support a beautiful foliated cross. 
On either side of the jambs of the central window 
are buttresses, terminated by pinnacles, and between 
these and the buttresses of the tower are rich Gothic 
panels, terminated by crocketed gablets. 

The towers on either side of the central gable are 
thirty-two feet square at the base, exclusive of the 
great buttresses, having walls of immense thickness and 
solidity. The towers maintain the square form for the 
height of one hundred and thirty-six feet, where they 
change into octagonal lanterns which are fifty-four 
feet high, over which are the spires, one hundred and 
forty feet in height, making the total height of each 
tower and spire three hundred and thirty feet. The 
towers are divided into three stories, the first contain- 
ing portals corresponding in architecture to the central 
portal, with crocketed gablets, having tracery and 
shields containing the arms of the United States and 
the State of New York, over which are balustrades of 
pierced tracery. In the second story are windows with 



• 158 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

richly-molded jambs and beautiful tracery, correspond- 
ing to the great central rose, and terminated by gablets 
of pierced tracery. The third story has four small 
windows on each side, and is terminated by a label- 
mold cornice and pierced battlement. 

The towers are flanked by massive buttresses deco- 
rated with very light and beautiful tabernacles at each 
offset, and are terminated by clustered pinnacles, which 
join the buttresses of the octagonal lanterns over the 
towers. 

The octagonal lanterns have windows with fine 
tracery on each side, over which are gablets with 
traceries, and the whole terminated by cornices and 
pierced battlements. The eight corner buttresses are 
terminated by pinnacles. 

The spires are octagonal in two stories. The first 
story has rich molding in the angles, and the faces are 
panelled with traceries. The single columns are ter- 
minated by capitals supporting gablets with finials. 
The second story is molded and panelled like the first 
story, and terminates in a magnificent foliage finial 
. carrying the terminal crosses. Circular stone stair- 
ways are carried up in the buttresses of the towers, 
which communicate with the organ galleries and upper 
stories of the towers. A chime of bells has been in- 
stalled in the third story of the tower at a height of one 
hundred and sixty feet above the grade of the avenue. 

The side aisles of the nave behind the towers, and 
facing the two streets, are divided by buttresses with 
niches and pinnacles into five bays. Each bay is 
pierced by a window thirteen feet six inches wide and 
twenty-seven feet in height, divided into three bays by 
muUions, and having the tympanum or arch filled with 




UADV CHAPEIU 
1 NT €.R.\ OR. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 159 

traceries of rich and varied design. The transept 
fronts are divided into a central aisle forty-eight feet 
wide and one hundred and seventy feet high, to the 
top of the crosses of the gables, and two side aisles. 
The central aisles are marked on the first story by 
portals corresponding to those of the front, and flanked 
by buttresses with pinnacles, with panelled gables over 
the doors, and pierced battlements. Over each door 
the great transept windows fill the whole space up to 
the springing of the gables. These two great windows 
are twenty-eight feet in width by fifty-eight feet in 
height, and are divided by clustered mullions into six 
bays, and the tympana or arches are filled with traceries 
of the richest design. The gablet over the window 
is richly panelled. A row of niches crosses each tran- 
sept at the eave-line, and above this the gable is richly 
panelled with pinnacles and pierced battlements, and 
is terminated by an octagonal pinnacle and foliated 
cross. The side aisles of the transept are marked by 
windows similar to those of the side aisles, and flanked 
by octagonal buttresses, in which are spiral stairs lead- 
ing to the triforium and roofs. 

The side aisle of the sanctuary has three bays similar 
to those of the nave. The side aisle of the rear has 
five bays. The clerestory, which rises thirty-eight feet 
above the roof of the side aisles, and is one hundred 
and four feet high to the eaves above the ground-line, 
is divided into six bays in the nave, two bays in either 
transept, and three bays in the sanctuary. The apse 
has five bays, its ground-plan being half a decagon. 
The bays are divided by buttresses, terminated by 
grand pinnacles, which rise thirty feet above the eaves. 

Each bay is pierced by a window fourteen feet six 



160 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

inches broad and twenty-six feet high, divided by mul- 
lions into four bays, and having rich tracery of varied 
designs in the tympana. The windows are surmounted 
by panelled gablets with traceries, and the walls be- 
tween the gablets and pinnacles are finished by pierced 
battlements. The roofs of the side aisles and clere- 
stories are slated, and the clerestory roof is terminated 
by a rich metal cresting five feet six inches high, hav- 
ing the leaves and flowers gilded, with a central finial 
at the intersection of the nave and transepts fifteen feet 
in height, decorated with foliage and flowers, and ter- 
minated by a cross at the east end of the roof over the 
apse. The cross is thirteen feet in height, and gilt 
with flowers and foliage ornaments. 

The windows are glazed by two thicknesses of sash 
and glass, set two inches apart, in order to produce an 
even temperature and prevent drafts of air in the in- 
terior of the building. The exterior sashes are glazed 
with figured glass in lead sash ; and the interior sashes 
with stained glass of the richest description and most 
beautiful and appropriate designs. The windows of the 
clerestory were made by Morgan Brothers, New York. 

There are twenty-one niches on the front, fifteen on 
the north, and fifteen on the south side. Of these only 
two have been filled. The statue of the Immaculate 
Conception north of the grand portal is the gift of 
Mrs. C. Finney. The statue of St. Joseph, south of 
the portal, was presented by Mr. Stoltzenberg. Both 
statues were made by the Stoltzenberg Co. 

There are also spaces for thirty-two statuettes, six- 
teen for each transept. The Lady Chapel has six 
niches. A large bronze statue of the Blessed Virgin 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 161 

will be placed at the end of the ridge of the roof. 

The interior of the Cathedral, like its exterior, is 
cruciform, divided in its ground-plan into a nave, two 
transepts, and a choir or sanctuary. The nave of the 
Cathedral, or the entire portion between the transepts 
and Fifth Avenue, is one hundred and sixty-four feet 
long, ninety-six feet wide between the side-aisle walls, 
one hundred and twenty- four feet broad from out to 
out, including the side-aisle chapels. It is divided 
longitudinally into seven bays or divisions, defined by 
the columns, each bay being twenty-three feet in length, 
except the first one between the front towers, which is 
twenty-six feet long. In its cross-section the nave con- 
sists of a center aisle forty-eight feet wide and one 
hundred and ten feet in height from the floor to the 
apex of the groined ceiling. The two side aisles are 
each twenty-four feet in width and fifty-four feet high. 
The chapels, which are under the window-sills of the 
side aisles, are fourteen feet in width and eighteen feet 
high. The transepts, or arms of the cross, are one 
hundred and forty-four feet long, and are divided into 
a center and two side aisles of the same dimensions as 
those of the nave. The choir, or sanctuary, is ninety- 
five feet long, and has a center aisle of the same dimen- 
sions as that of the nave, and four side aisles, making 
a total width of one hundred and twenty-four feet 
from wall to wall. The choir has three bays and is 
terminated at the east end by a five-sided apse in the 
central aisle. 

The columns dividing the central aisle from the side 
aisles are of white marble, thirty-five feet in height and 
clustered, having four main columns at the angles 
twelve inches in diameter, and eight columns six inches 



162 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

in diameter attached to the central shaft, giving a 
combined diameter of five feet, and are ornamented 
with beautiful foHated capitals. The arches between 
the columns, and supporting the triforium and clere- 
story, are richly molded, and rise to the height of fifty- 
four feet. The space between these arches and the 
clerestory windows is sixteen feet in height. This is 
called the triforium, and is covered by the roof of the 
side aisles. The walls of the nave are pierced in the 
triforium by four arches, corresponding to the bays or 
divisions of the clerestory windows. A floor is laid 
over the side aisle arches, affording a passage in the 
triforium all around the building, at an elevation of 
fifty-six feet above the floor of the Cathedral. The 
clerestory windows come above, and are a continuation 
of the tracery of the triforium. They are each four- 
teen feet six inches in width, and twenty-six feet high. 

The ceiling of the center aisle is groined with richly 
molded ribs and jack ribs, with foliage bosses at their 
intersections. The spring-line of the ceiling is seventy- 
seven feet from the floor of the Cadiedral. The side- 
aisle chapel ceilings are also richly groined with ribs 
and jack ribs. Holes, one inch and a half in diameter, 
are pierced through all the groined ceilings of the build- 
ing, through which ropes can be let down to suspend 
scaffolding or men for the purpose of repairing or 
cleaning the building. 

The floors of the nave and transepts have four hun- 
dred and eight pews, varying in length from eight to 
eleven feet, and having a seating capacity of about 
twenty-five hundred. They are divided by aisles, vary- 
ing in width from seven to eight feet. The sanctuary 
floor is raised six steps above the floor of the Cathe- 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 163 

dral, and the high altar is three steps higher, or nine 
steps above the main floor. The steps are of gray 
marble and the platform in front of the altar of richly 
colored marbles. 

The massive doors — ^heavily panelled, and displaying 
consummate workmanship — the handsome pews, the 
front of the organ gallery, and all the woodwork is of 
white ash. 

The Lady Chapel. 

The gem of the new Cathedral is the beautiful Lady 
Chapel, which is still under construction. During the 
Middle Ages, in England, as well as in France and 
Italy where the great Gothic cathedrals are to be 
found, it has been the custom to have behind the high 
altar in the middle of the apse a chapel dedicated to 
the Blessed Virgin, and called the chapel of Our 
Lady. As a rule this chapel was also used as the 
chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and hence, because 
of its special dedication to the Mother of God, and its 
use as the tabernacle of the Eucharistic Christ, we find 
that all the skill and genius of architect, of sculptor, of 
metal-worker, of stained glass artist, are lavished upon 
this portion of the Cathedral. According to the original 
plans, St. Patrick's Cathedral was to have its apsidal 
chapel, but at the request of Archbishop Hughes, 
the architect, Mr. Renwick, was compelled to modify 
the plan and construct the rear so as to do away with 
the apsidal aisles and the chapel. Thus the Cathedral 
terminated abruptly behind the high altar, and a Lady 
Chapel was fitted up in the north side aisle. In 1900, 
thanks to the generosity of the Kelly family, measures 
were taken to complete the Cathedral by constructing a 
Lady Chapel worthy of the highest traditions of Gothic 



164 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

art. A competition was opened, and fourteen archi- 
tects from America, England, and France, were invited 
to submit plans for the remodeling of the eastern end 
of the Cathedral and the construction of the Lady 
Chapel. Among the conditions laid down for the com- 
petitors the following phrase is of interest : "The draw- 
ings shall contain no handwriting and no motto, em- 
blem, or other mark of identification, but they are to 
be accompanied by an envelope containing the name of 
their author."* Professor William R. Ware, of the 
School of Architecture of Columbia University, was 
chosen as the architectural expert who was to deter- 
mine the best design from an architectural view-point ; 
Archbishop Corrigan was to decide from an ecclesiasti- 
cal view-point, and the donors were to select the design 
that appealed most to their own personal appreciation. 
The authors were, of course, not known to the judges, 
who rendered their decisions separately, so that one 
judge was not cognizant of the opinion of the other 
until the final m.eeting. It was very gratifying to all 
concerned to learn that the three judges had reached 
the same conclusion, and awarded the commission to 
Mr. Charles T. Mathews. 

''The first and perhaps the most important problem 
to be solved by the successful architect was the re- 
modeling of the rear wall of the Cathedral. The visi- 
tor to the Cathedral will see at a glance with what 
great success this difficulty has been solved. The rear 
wall was removed and the side aisles were continued 
as an ambulatory leading back of the high altar. From 
the rear of the ambulatory we pass at once into the 
Lady Chapel, which is flanked by two small semi- 

* Architectural Record, June, 1907, p. 420. A. H. Gumaer. 




J\L.'T/\R OF ST-MICH-^EL- .A.MD ST. LOUIS 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 165 

octagonal chapels. The great advantage of this solution 
is that the Cathedral was lengthened and a vista opened 
up behind the high altar, so that the Cathedral, viewed 
from the western portal, seems half again as long as 
formerly. The ambulatory, it is true, has decreased 
the available depth for the chapel, but as this floor 
space may be utilized when necessary, the seating capac- 
ity of the chapel has not been diminished to any great 
extent. Behind the high altar a marble stairway leads 
to the sacristy underneath the chapel. The bronze 
door to the west closes the burial crypt of the Arch- 
bishops. At the rear of the sacristy, and directly be- 
low the high altar of the chapel, there is a burial crypt 
for the family of the donors. The crypt is separated 
from the sacristy by bronze doors. At the foot of the 
marble stairway is an exquisitely wrought bronze grille, 
bearing in high relief the coat-of-arms of the late Pope 
Leo XIII., during whose pontificate the greater part 
of the chapel was constructed. On either side of the 
chapel underneath the terrace, with a floor level a few 
feet lower than the sacristy, are two rooms which are 
used for the sanctuary boys and for the sacred vest- 
ments respectively. From these side rooms stairways 
descend another story down to the subcellar. Beneath 
the terrace on the north side of the chapel, a boiler 
room has been excavated. The great problem which 
the architect had to meet in designing the underground 
sacristy was to provide for sufficient light. The great 
Gothic cathedrals of the thirteenth century rise from 
the ground in a mass of solid masonry, and this 
massive foundation emphasizes their strength and sta- 
bility. Evidently, if these walls of masonry are pierced 
by basement windows, that impression of strength is 



166 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

to some extent weakened, if not entirely lost. The 
architect has displayed great skill in solving this dif- 
ficulty. He has cut areas between the buttresses in the 
large base or stylobate, from w^hich the chapel arises. 
This base is so high that the gratings over the areas are 
not visible from the street or the terrace. The sacristy 
windows opening into these areas are of opaque leaded 
glass, so in the interior one does not in the least have 
the impression of being in a room which is more than 
half under ground. The construction of the stairway 
to the sacristy is a delicate piece of engineering, and at 
first occasioned considerable anxiety. The stairway 
passes between the foundations of the two rear piers 
of the Cathedral, which support the clerestory walls of 
the choir. These were built on a solid rock, and the 
construction of the stairway necessitated the removal 
of the rock between these piers. Blasting between these 
foundations was a very delicate operation, for the 
slightest accident might have wrecked the entire Cathe- 
dral. Forttmately, the work was carried out with 
great success, and the foundations are now in better 
condition than they ever were before. 

"The style employed by Mr. Mathews for the archi- 
tecture of the chapel is the Gothic of France in the 
thirteenth century, though as we get toward the top 
of the structure some of the carving, particularly that 
on the pinnacles of the buttresses, has the character 
of the more ornate work of the early fourteenth cen- 
tury, giving the impression of a building whose con- 
struction had extended from one century into the 
other. The aim has been to make the structure as 
nearly as possible archssologically correct, and the 
greatest care has been taken with all the details, in 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 167 

order to bring about this result. The profiles of the 
moldings have been very carefully studied, especially 
those arch and gable moldings which appear in elon- 
gated vertical sections on the sides of the buttresses. 
This very characteristic feature is usually avoided in 
modern work, it being easier and cheaper either to con- 
tinue the moldings down to the sill, or to terminate 
them on a horizontal band at the spring of the arch. 
The modeling of the grotesques and foliage was done 
under the personal supervision of the architect, and 
in some cases they are the work of his own hand. The 
gargoyles are not as fantastic as those which were 
originally designed for the purpose. As compared with 
the Cathedral, the chapel is more refined in scale. The 
moldings are sharper, the carvings have more sparkle, 
and the architecture, as a whole, is more ornate and 
elaborate. It is a rich and delicate pendant to the 
Cathedral rather than a glorious crown, as is sug- 
gested by the chevet of the French cathedrals. An 
original feature in the treatment of the exterior is the 
small octagonal spire, decorated with open tracery, 
which is placed over each of the flanking chapels. These 
are the means of hiding, in a very clever manner, the 
awkward silhouette of the main roof. The roof of the 
ambulatory is lower than the roof of the chapel, being 
a continuation of the roof of the side aisle. Conse- 
quently, we have in silhouette, first, the high choir wall, 
then a drop down for the roof of the ambulatory, then 
a rise for the roof of the chapel. The reason, of 
course, for making the roof of the ambulatory low 
is to get the full amount of light into the choir. If 
the ridge of the chapel roof were carried back to the 
choir wall, it would be impossible to bring the rear 



168 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

choir window down to the same level as the others. 
In most French churches this unpleasant line is rarely- 
seen on account of the maze of flying buttresses, which 
loses the outline of the roof, but at St. Patrick's, un- 
fortunately, on account of the vaults being in plaster 
and not in stone, there are no flying buttresses, and it 
has been necessary to resort to this device, which is 
both ingenious and effective." The exterior of the 
chapel is practically complete, with the exception of a 
large bronze statue of the Blessed Virgin, which is to 
be placed at the end of the ridge of the roof. "The 
stone used in the construction of the Cathedral is dolo- 
mite, but for the Lady Chapel it was found impossible 
to obtain the same stone, as the original quarry was in 
no condition to yield large blocks. It was, therefore, 
decided to employ an entirely different sort of stone, 
and a very fine quality of Vermont marble was selected 
for the purpose, which weathers to warmer tones than 
the cold glaze of the dolomite. The roof and the 
fleche, which are of copper, together with the bronze 
figure of the Blessed Virgin, will in a short time take 
on patina, which will give a touch of color to the roof, 
lightening up this feature, which now, perhaps, seems a 
bit dark and heavy. 

"Everything in the interior is stone, with the excep- 
tion, as in the body of the church, of the vaults, which 
in this case are made in plaster on expanded metal. All 
the thrusts, however, for the stone-vaulted ceiling have 
been computed, and the buttresses are built sufficiently 
strong to withstand them. It is to be hoped that be- 
fore many years means may be provided for giving to 
these buttresses the work for which they were designed 
and constructed. The pavement of the chapel is of 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 169 

polished marble, inlaid in the Gothic pattern, yellow, 
gray, green, and white being the colors employed. In 
the middle of the pavement are inlaid the arms of Leo 
XIIL, in high reHef."=^ 

The Lady Chapel, including the flanking chapels, 
will have fifteen windows representing the fifteen mys- 
teries of the Rosary. The type of window to be em- 
ployed is the medallion window, of which there are 
such fine examples at the Cathedral at Chartres. "The 
large medallion at the top of each window is to set 
forth the mystery itself, while the lower part is to be 
made up of compositions representing the prophecies 
which foretold, or the types and symbols of the particu- 
lar mystery in the medallion above. An elaborate 
baldacchino and screen are to form the cHmax of the 
interior scheme. This is to be made a very brilliant 
feature by gilding all the decorated surfaces, which 
will reflect the light at all angles. As has already been 
mentioned, one of the greatest advantages of the new 
chapel, or in the solution of the problem which has now 
been realized, is the gain which comes to the interior 
of the Cathedral in added length and increased in- 
terest at the end of the vista, which formerly ter- 
minated abruptly behind the high altar. Now one 
sees back of the great reredos a mysterious maze of 
arches and columns and vaults, continuing the per- 
spective beyond until it is lost in the dimness of the 
interior, through which at the end of the vista glow 
the mysteries of faith in flaming jewels of light. "f 

The Lady Chapel is indeed the Holy of Holies. It 
is difficult at this writing to realize what a magnificent 
contrast will break upon the visitor as he passes from 

* Architectural Record, 
t Ibid. 



170 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

the heavy, severe tone of the Cathedral proper, to the 
finer lines and more delicate tracery of the Lady 
Chapel, and the harmonious colors of its jewel-like 
windows. The first Mass was said in the Lady Chapel 
on Christmas, 1906. 

The Lady Chapel adds two hundred and ninety 
square yards of space to the Cathedral. It is fifty-six 
and a half feet long by twenty-eight feet wide and 
fifty-six feet high. The flanking chapels, semi-octago- 
nals, are twenty-one feet in diameter. The ambulatory 
is sixty- four feet long by fifteen feet wide and forty- 
eight feet high. 

The Altars. 

the altar of st. michael and st. louis. 

(North Side.) 

This altar is dedicated to St. Michael and St. Louis, 
and has just been completed. The moldings, distribu- 
tion, and mass belong for the most part to the thirteenth 
century Gothic of France, though the lighter carvings 
are more playful and are inspired by the later transi- 
tional period between the fourteenth and fifteenth cen- 
turies, as is customary in church furniture. 

The reredos consists of three canopied niches. The 
center niche is lined with green and gold bronze, or- 
namented with a diaper pattern, and powdered with 
gold fleurs-de-lis. The two side niches are powdered 
with marble fleurs-de-lis, or the lilies of France, on 
the inside, and lined with gold mosaic of the Byzan- 
tine type, the cubes following the curvature of said 
lilies. 

The side niches contain the statues of St. Michael 
and St. Louis, the two warrior saints (one celestial, the 




.^L-rv^R cF ST. E L,: z -'X B e:t r-: 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 171 

other terrestrial) as guardians of the symbol of Chris- 
tianity which stands alone in its simplicity in the cen- 
ter niche. 

The tabernacle is of marble richly carved, the door 
and door frame of green bronze picked out sparingly 
with gold. On the tabernacle door is a bas-relief 
showing an enthroned figure of Our Lord in an atti- 
tude of benediction. The antependium of the altar- 
table is triple in composition, with three deep sinkages 
framed richly in carving, and divided by small niches 
for statuettes. Marble escutcheons, against back- 
grounds of gold mosaic, ornament each of these sink- 
ages, and in turn are charged with appropriate heraldic 
devices. The one beneath the statue of St. Louis bears 
the "arms" of the king. That beneath the statue of 
St. Michael holds the emblem of "The Order of St. 
Michael," while the center escutcheon is ornamented 
with the L H. S. or monogram of Our Lord. 

The sides of the altar-table are ornamented in a 
similar manner to the front, each with a shield bearing 
a small device, namely the crown of St. Louis, and the 
crown of thorns. 

The altar was designed by Charles T. Mathews, the 
architect of the Lady Chapel, and executed by Tiffany 
and Co. The altar is the gift of Mr. Michel Bouvier, 
and the Misses Zenaide, Alexine, and Marie Bouvier. 

THE ALTAR OF ST. ELIZABETH. 

(South Side.) 
The altar on the south side of the Lady Chapel is 
the gift of the Hon. John D. Crimmins, and is dedi- 
cated to St. Elizabeth. It belongs for the most part 
to the ornate fifteenth century Gothic period of France, 
though here and there the richness is punctuated by 



172 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

thirteenth century feeling, as though to declare its 
evolution from that beautiful, severe style. The rere- 
dos consists of a single canopied niche, with rich 
carving falling away on either side, and is surmounted 
by a spire carved to a great height. The niche which 
contains the statue of the saint is lined with green and 
gold, the material being malachite, laced over with 
bronze covered with gold-leaf, and studded with fleurs- 
de-lis of the same material. 

On either side of the tabernacle door are sinkages or 
niches rectangular in section, surmounted by ogival 
arches, and filled with sculptures representing episodes 
from the life of St. John the Baptist. The sculptures, 
which are grouped figurines, are thrown into relief by 
backgrounds of malachite. 

The altar-shelf is supported by an elaborate arcature 
containing statuettes of the twelve Apostles. The ante- 
pendium, like that of the north chapel of the ambula- 
tory, is triple in composition. It consists of three 
niches rectangular in their horizontal section, divided 
by small fifteenth century buttresses, and surmounted 
by segmental arches deeply and heavily crocketed. The 
center niche is lined with malachite, having a diaper 
pattern and fleurs-de-lis in bronze covered with gold- 
leaf. The flanking niches are filled with sculptured 
representations, in high relief, from the life of St. 
John the Baptist, to whose mother the altar is dedi- 
cated. 

At either comer of the altar-table front are Gothic 
columns with polished shafts. In the foliage of the 
capitals the architect has chosen a thirteenth century 
treatment, as showing greater vigor than the fifteenth 
century work, an important element in constructive 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 173 

features or supporting members of prominence. The 
design is by Charles T. Mathews; the execution by 
Paolo Medici, Rome. 

THE HIGH ALTAR. 

The High Altar, erected at the east end of the edi- 
fice, in the center aisle of the choir, stands thirty feet 
distant from the entrance to the Lady Chapel. The 
reredos, or altar-screen, thirty-three feet in width and 
fifty feet in height to the top of the center pinnacle, 
was carved and finished in Poitiers stone, at St. Brieuc, 
in France by Paul Guibe. It was presented by the 
clergy of the Archdiocese. The center tower of the rere- 
dos has a niche containing a statue of St. Patrick, by 
J. Sibbel, and the two flanking towers bear statues of 
St. Peter and St. Paul. Over these statues the towers 
rise and are crowned with pierced spires of open tra- 
cery-work. The spaces between the central and the 
two corner towers are divided into six niches, three 
on either side of the center, containing angelic figures 
bearing emblems of the Passion. 

The altar proper is the work of Signor Carimini and 
was constructed in Rome, Italy, together with the 
tabernacle and stylobate, or lower division of the re- 
redos. These are all of the purest Italian marble, in- 
laid with alabasters and precious marbles. The front 
of the bottom part of the altar is divided into niches 
and panels; the niches containing statues of the four 
Evangelists, the panels representing in bas-reliefs the 
Last Supper, the Carrying of the Cross, the Agony in 
the Garden — all in the purest Carrara marble. The 
tabernacle on the altar is of marble, decorated with 
Roman mosaics, flanked by columns of rare and costly 



174 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

marbles, and has a floor of gilt bronze set with rich 
stones. The entire cost was $35,000. The altar is the 
gift of His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey. The statue 
of St. Patrick was donated by John B. Planning, and 
was blessed by Archbishop Corrigan, March 17, 1901. 
A crypt or vault for the entombing of the Arch- 
bishops of New York is constructed under the floor of 
the sanctuary, at a distance of ten feet from the front 
of the high altar. The crypt is lined with stone of dif- 
ferent colors and white marble. It is of sufficient 
capacity to contain forty-two coffins. 

THE ALTAR OF THE SACRED HEART. 

This is in the south transept, and is of bronze, very 
elaborately ornamented. Over the tabernacle Our Lord 
stands on a pedestal or base supported by two kneel- 
ing angels ; on either side of the tabernacle are repre- 
sented in bas-reliefs the Last Supper and the Appari- 
tion of Our Lord to Blessed ^vlargaret Mary Alacoque. 
In front are four statues representing the sacrifices of 
the Old Dispensation, and in the middle Our Lord 
holds a chalice. Columns of Eg}'ptian granite with 
capitals and pedestals of white marble stand on either 
side. They are surmounted by bronze statues of St. 
Peter and St. Paul, a gift from His Holiness Pius IX. 
to His Eminence the Cardinal. This altar is the gift 
of His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey. 

THE HOLY FAMILY ALTAR. 

The Holy Family altar is in the north transept. It 
was designed by James Renwick, and executed by the 
Draddy Brothers. The steps are of gray marble and 
the platforms of mosaic in marbles of diflferent colors. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 175 

The altar itself is of white marble with columns of 
Mexican onyx. The plinth of the r credos is of hght 
gray marble, inlaid with red and green marbles. The 
second plinth is of white marble with the panels of 
Mexican onyx. With the exception of the three bas- 
reliefs, the whole of the reredos is in Caen stone, very 
beautifully and elaborately ornamented. The three 
bas-reliefs are of statuary marble and the columns are 
of onyx. The center reHef represents the Holy Family; 
the side-reliefs are the Annunciation and the Adoration 
of the Magi. The smaller figures are in white alabas- 
ter, the larger in white marble. Carved on the door 
of the tabernacle are clustering grapes and wheat, 
representing the bread and wine used in the Holy 
Sacrifice of the Mass. Mr. Renwick wrote to the 
donor : "I have made this design with all the thought 
and genius I am capable of, and I trust it will please 
you." This altar was donated by Joseph A. Donohoe 
of San Francisco, and was consecrated Nov. 11, 1893, 
by Archbishop Corrigan. 

ST. Joseph's altar. 

St. Joseph's altar stands in the south ambulatory, 
and is of bronze and mosaic. Three scenes are repre- 
sented on its front. In the middle the Archangel 
Gabriel announces the mystery of the Incarnation to 
the Blessed Virgin; on the Gospel side St. Joseph 
teaches the Infant Jesus his trade, and on the Epistle 
side St. Anne instructs the child Mary. This altar, 
together with the window of St. Agnes, is the gift of 
Mrs. Agnes Maitland. 

The Archbishop's throne, erected against the first 
column inside the sanctuary, on the Gospel side, is of 



176 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

carved French oak. Over the seat is a magnificent 
Gothic canopy, supported by columns of the same style, 
and crowned by an octagonal lantern ornamented with 
statues, crockets, and finials. 

The handsome sanctuary-rail, of polished brass, 
branching out from the first columns of the sanctuary, 
forms an elliptical curve. The design consists of 
highly ornamented pillars, from which spring wide 
arches ; on the summits of the pillars, at the junction of 
the arches, are inserted intricate ornaments of delicate 
execution, prominently exhibiting the oak-leaf and the 
acorn. It is similar on both sides, and surmounted by 
a massive oak strip. 

THE PULPIT. 

This is situated on the Epistle side, at the first 
column outside the sanctuary of the main altar. It is 
of the same style of Gothic architecture as the building 
itself, and was designed by the same architect. It was 
carved and finished at Carrara, Italy. It is octagonal 
in form and is carried by eight columns of beautiful 
Sienna marble, with their bases and caps molded and en- 
riched with carvings, and resting on a finely molded 
pedestal of Carrara marble. Over these columns the 
outward swell of the corbel or body begins; the sur- 
face is divided by light moldings, and tastefully orna- 
mented with oak and chestnut leaves: the cornice of 
the corbel, enriched with carvings of the ball flower, 
marks the starting line of the later a or sides of the 
pulpit; each side representing the perfect triform 
Gothic arch sustained by columns of Mexican onyx, 
and molded, panelled, and highly ornamented. On the 
angles between each side are niches, in which are 




T-^OLTr- -pyMMIl-Y AI-TAR. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 177 

placed statuettes of pure white statuary marble. The 
statuette in the niche nearest the sanctuary represents 
St. John the Evangelist; the next, St. Peter; St. Pat- 
rick occupies the center niche ; on his left is St. Paul ; 
and in the fifth and last is the statue of St. Andrew 
the Apostle. The niches are canopied, groined, and 
enriched with pendants and finials. The frieze is orna- 
mented with grape-vines, while the cornice surmount- 
ing it is enlivened by twining sprays of shamrock. The 
rostrum is reached by a flight of twelve steps winding 
round the marble column ; the lower steps are carried 
on a crypt, the upper ones are self-sustaining; they 
carry on their exterior curve a handsome balustrade of 
rich pierced tracery work, leading to the pulpit from a 
finely carved newel. 

The marble in which this work is executed is known 
to connoisseurs as canal-bianco, and is from the quarry 
from which were extracted the marble columns of the 
portico of the Pantheon, Rome. 

The pulpit was presented by the clergy of the Dio- 
cese to Cardinal McCloskey, as a memorial of the 
golden jubilee or fiftieth anniversary of his ordination 
to the priesthood, which took place January 12, 1884. 

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS. 

The Stations of the Cross in the north and south 
transepts are in full relief, carved in the finest grade 
of Caen stone, and their cream white tone conforms 
to the tint of the stonework in the interior of the edi- 
fice. Both the statuary and frames are very richly 
carved in great architectural designs and proportions, 
in accordance with the other fixtures of the Cathedral. 
Three of the Stations were exhibited at the World's 



178 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Fair in Chicago, and were awarded the first prize. 
Their cost was $10,000. Two were donated by Mrs. 
M. A. Mills, two by Cornelius O'Reilly, one by Mr. 
and Mrs. Joseph J. O'Donohue, one by Marquise de 
San Marzano, one by Thomas H. O'Connor and one by 
Mrs. D. M. Hildreth. The stations were ordered from 
the Stoltzenberg Co., ateliers in Raermond, Holland, 
and were specially executed after the designs of the 
celebrated architect, Dr. Cuypers, of Holland. 

THE OSTENSORIUM. 

On the occasion of the bi-centenary of Blessed Mar- 
garet Mary, October 25, 1890, the League of the 
Sacred Heart in charge of the Rev. Jos. H. McMahon, 
offered to present to the Cathedral a magnificent osten- 
sorium to be used for the monthly exposition of the 
Blessed Sacrament. Many ladies contributed their 
diamonds, precious stones, gold and silver jewelry to 
make the work their own, and as worthy as possible of 
the Eucharistic Christ. The ostensorium is made of 
silver, first quality, heavily gilt, and consists of an 
ostensorium proper, and a thabor. The glory, or the 
rays of the ostensorium, consist of eight trilobated di- 
visions, upheld by eight columns resting on the cen- 
tral disc. The base is formed of four panels on which 
is represented the brazen serpent, symbolic of the cross 
in the Old Testament, and the three sacrifices of Abra- 
ham, Melchisedech, and Abel. The base rests upon 
four animals, symbolic of vanquished evil. The shaft 
springing from the base is ornamented richly with 
enameled daisies, the daisy being the ''marguerite," the 
flower of Margaret Mary. Under the knot of the 
shaft is a niche containing a group representing the 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 179 

Nativity of Our Lord. In a corresponding niche on 
the opposite side a similar sacred subject is represented. 
In the compartments of the rose work of the glory 
there are eight medalUons on each side, representing in 
reUef subjects which form the theme of the poem to 
the Sacred Heart. On the first medallion there are 
two angels carrying the Sacred Heart surrounded by 
a nimbus. On the second, Blessed Margaret Mary is 
represented as seen stripping hemp on the steps at the 
convent at Paray-le-Monial. The third represents the 
apparition of the Sacred Heart to Blessed Margaret 
Mary. The fourth, the scene near the hazel-nut tree in 
the enclosure of the garden of the Visitation. The 
fifth represents the Blessed Margaret and another re- 
ligious adoring the Sacred Heart. The sixth, which 
is at the top of the glory, represents the Crucifixion, 
with the soldier piercing the Sacred Heart. The 
seventh, which is at the right, represents St. John re- 
posing on the Sacred Heart, and the eighth, which is 
on the left, represents St. Thomas touching the wound 
in the Sacred Heart. Inscriptions referring to these 
representations are drawn out and enameled on the 
foils. The medallions on the opposite side correspond- 
ing to these represent scenes from the life of Our Lord, 
especially referring to the institution of the Blessed 
Sacrament. The rose work is surrounded by enameled 
beams, and rises much above the irradiation, the orna- 
mentation, and the cherubim. The cross surmounting 
the glory is covered with precious stones and almost 
every portion of the monstrance is decorated in the 
same manner. There is much enameling on the base, 
underneath the various representations, in the frame- 
work surrounding them, and on the flowers, especially 



180 DESCRIPTIOX OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

the daisies and passion flowers. The curves which 
cover the groundwork of the medallions in the rose 
work are also enameled, and likewise the angels' wings, 
the nimbus, etc. 

There are fourteen seraphim modeled on the face 
of the monstrance, and as many on the opposite side. 
The ostensorium weighs 10,500 grammes and is one 
meter and ten centimeters in height. The thabor con- 
sists of a platform supported on the wings of four 
eagles placed at the corners, with angels adoring on the 
top of the platform. The ornamentations of the tha- 
bor are daisies and passion flowers on the moldings, 
the base, and the capitals. The figures are carefully 
modeled and chiseled. The flowers, one hundred and 
forty-eight in all, are enameled "en feu." Twenty 
medallions which adorn the thabor are also enameled. 
The thabor is made of gilded bronze ormulu. 

The ostensorium was made at the studio of M. Ar- 
mand Calliat at Lyons, France, and was presented to 
the Cathedral in 1893. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Description of the New Cathedral. 

(Continued.) 

The Windows. 

The Cathedral possesses a very fine collection of 
stained-glass windows. For size, number, richness of 
coloring, variety, and artistic beauty, the windows 
through which this vast Cathedral is flooded with dim 
religious light are perhaps unsurpassed in this country. 

It is a matter of sincere congratulation that all have 
been executed in that country where the most precious 
treasures of the art survive — in France — and that al- 
most all of them were made under the very shadow of 
the Cathedral of Chartres, where, it is universally ad- 
mitted, the most beautiful specimens of the thirteenth 
century painted glass are preserved. 

There are in all seventy windows in the Cathedral. 
Of these thirty-seven are figured, i.e., represent scenes 
from Scripture and from the lives of the saints ; twenty 
are filled with what is termed cathedral stained glass, 
having only geometrical figures ; and the remainder 
being needed for the purpose of lighting portions of the 
building where utility rather than ornament is the ob- 
ject in view, are filled with white glass. 

Of the figured, the two great windows of the tran- 
sept are storied windows ; so-called because they give 
the history or story of a life, told in a series of scenes 
— a sort of epic in stained glass. Of these the six- 
bayed window over the south transept door is first en- 



182 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

titled to mention, being the titular window of the 
Cathedral. 

THE WINDOW OF ST. PATRICK. 

Here we have the whole life of St. Patrick succinctly 
told in eighteen scenes, beginning with his baptism and 
ending with his apotheosis. We shall content ourselves 
with giving the inscriptions under each scene, and 
pointing out the order in which they are to be read. 

Beginning at the base of the left hand bay, and read- 
ing the scenes upward in lines of three each, we find: 
1, the baptism of St. Patrick; 2, he is taken prisoner at 
the age of thirteen ; 3, an angel reveals to him his voca- 
tion ; 4, he preaches the Gospel on board ship ; 5, he is 
sold to King Milcho ; 6, he is set at liberty at Maestric ; 
7, he is made a cleric by his uncle, St. Martin, Bishop 
of Tours; 8, he pursues his studies in the island of 
Lerins ; 9, he is ordained a priest by Bishop Sancaur ; 
10, he sets out for Rome; 11, he receives the blessing 
of Pope Celestine; 12, he is consecrated Bishop by 
St. Amataur; 13, he visits St. Germain d'Auxerre; 
14, he converts Dichu and his family (on his arrival in 
Ireland) ; 15, he gives Holy Communion to the prin- 
cesses Ethna and Fethlema ; 16, he raises Malfric from 
the dead; 17, the saint's death; 18, the angels singing 
his funeral dirge. 

In the center of the tracery is the beautifully exe- 
cuted scene of St. Patrick's coronation in heaven. 
Around this scene, in the tympanum, hovers a circle of 
angels, copied after Fra Angelico, each holding a scroll 
on which one of the following lines is inscribed, and all 
of which taken together make a hymn of sweet and 
simple Latinity, descriptive of the glories of heaven. 




r G t^ Ai_-rAR 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 183 

We give the hymn entire, and with it a beautiful and 
faithful translation not less poetical than the original : 

Quae f elix ilia civitas ! 
In qua jugis solemnitas, 
Et quam jucunda curia ! 
Quae curae prorsus nescia. 

Illic patres dispositi, 
Nee fraus, nee terror hostium. 
Sed una vox laetantium, 
Et unus ardor cordium. 

Nee languor hie, nee senium. 
Pro qualitate meriti, 
Fruuntur nee fastidiunt, 
Qui frui magis sitiunt. 
Mirantur nee deficiunt 
In ilium quern prospiciunt. 

Semota jam caligine, 
Lumen vident in lumine, 
Nunc revelata facie 
Regem cernunt in gloria. 

How fair that City of the Blest ! 

One festival forever there, 
The Church, triumphant and at rest, 

Rules her wide realm without a care. 

Enthroned there the Fathers reign. 
Their combat o'er with foes of truth, 

All voices blend in joyous strain, 

From one full heart of ceaseless youth. 

Nor strength can fail, nor time prevail, 
Each soul, in meed of merit's due, 

Receives its fill ; and, sateless still, 
With thirst and relish ever new, 

Drinks in a joy that can not cloy 
The vision freshening to the view. 



184 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Eternal Beauty meets their sight ; 

Not dimly now by faith and grace, 
They see the Primal Light in light, 

Their King in glory face to face. 

This window is from the ateliers of M. Ely, of 
Nantes, France. The execution of the scenes is as true 
as an oil painting, even to the perspective, so difficult 
to realize in stained glass. It is seen to best advantage 
under the early evening light just before the sun goes 
down. 

This window is the gift of the "Old St. Patrick's 
Cathedral to the New," and is a graceful tribute to her 
more accomplished offspring from the parent church, 
about to lay aside the honors of a cathedral, which 
she had worn with so much glory through storm and 
sunshine, during the lapse of more than half a century. 

THE WINDOW OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

The window is located over the north transept door. 
Like the corresponding one in the south transept, it, 
too, is a storied window, giving the whole life, death, 
assumption, and coronation of the Blessed Virgin in 
nineteen scenes. These scenes are read from left to 
right in lines of six each. Beginning at the bottom of 
the left hand bay, we find : 1, the nativity of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary; 2, her presentation in the Temple; 3, she 
is taught by St. Anne ; 4, she is espoused to St. Joseph ; 
5, the Annunciation ; 6, the angel appears to St. Joseph 
in his sleep ; 7, the Blessed Virgin visits St. Elizabeth ; 
8, the nativity of Our Lord ; 9, the shepherds adore the 
infant Jesus in the arms of Mary; 10, adoration of 
Jesus by the Magi; 11, the presentation of the infant 
Jesus in the Temple; 12, the flight into Egypt; 13, 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 185 

Joseph carries the infant Jesus during the journey; 14, 
the Holy Family in Nazareth; 15, the Mother of Sor- 
rows; 16, descent of the Holy Ghost upon Mary and 
the Apostles; 17, death of the Blessed Virgin; 18, the 
Assumption. 

High above, in the center of the tracery, is the scene 
of Our Lady's coronation. She is kneeling in an atti- 
tude of profound humility, while her divine Son, all 
radiant with joy, places the crown upon her head. The 
Holy Ghost, under the form of a dove, hovers above 
the Mother and Son, while higher still is seen the figure 
of the Eternal Father looking down "well-pleased" on 
the scene. These scenes are as delicately finished as 
miniatures, and will bear as close inspection. The 
mosaic portions of the work exceed, in richness and 
softness of tone, anything of the kind in the Cathedral. 
In the tracery around the coronation scene, the trefoils, 
etc., are filled with the symbols of the various titles of 
the Blessed Virgin as found in her Litany. Owing to 
its northern location this window is seen to advantage 
at any hour of the day. It is said by many, and not 
without reason, to be the gem of the collection. This 
and all the windows of the sanctuary, on which we 
shall touch next, are from the ateliers of M. Lor in of 
Chartres. It is the gift of the Right Rev. Bishop and 
clergy of the Diocese of Albany, whose cathedral was 
built and dedicated to our blessed Lady by His Emin- 
ence, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York, the first 
Bishop of Albany. 

THE WINDOWS OF THE SANCTUARY. 

Turning toward the sanctuary, which next claims our 
attention, we find in the clerestory eleven windows. Of 



186 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

these the six lateral windows represent subjects relat- 
ing to sacrifice — three on each side. The remaining 
five windows of the apse, or curve of the sanctuary, 
contain subjects taken from the history of our blessed 
Lord. Beginning with the windows of the sacrifice, 
and following the chronological order, we find that the 
first on the north side contains 

THE SACRIFICE OF ABEL. 

In the foreground are seen the first t\vo sons of 
Adam tending each an altar. The whole is a graphic 
rendering of the scriptural history — "And it came to 
pass, after many days, that Cain ofifered of the fruits 
of the earth gifts to the Lord. Abel also offered of the 
firstlings of his flock, and of their fat. And the Lord 
had respect to Abel and to his offerings; but to Cain 
and his offerings He had no respect. And Cain' was 
exceedingly angry, and his countenance fell." On the 
altar of Abel a lamb is being consumed, the smoke of 
which ascends between the extended arms of the in- 
nocent 3^outh, and forms a cloud, on which reposes a 
figure of the Eternal Father, who, with hand extended 
toward the altar, seems "to have respect to Abel's offer- 
ing." On the left is the figure of Cain, crouching 
rather than kneeling, his fallen countenance averted 
from his altar, on which are being consumed fruits of 
the earth. The smoke ascends ungracefully, and forms 
a cloud, emerging from which is seen a horned figure 
of Lucifer. This window is the gift of Charles and 
John Johnston. 

The subject of the next window is 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 187 

THE SACRIFICE OF NOE. 

The patriarch and family are represented as offering 
sacrifice to God in thanksgiving for their deliverance. 
The scriptural account gives the key to the whole scene : 
"And Noe built an altar unto the Lord ; and taking all 
cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts 
upon the altar." In the midst of the prayerful group 
is an altar on which burns a lamb, and the foreground 
is strewn with sacrificial knife, vessels of blood, and 
slain beasts and fowl ready to be consumed. In the 
background, oxen, asses, and deer are browsing on the 
hillside, while in the distance rises Mount Ararat, and 
on its summit rests the ark, around which flocks of 
birds are circHng, and, enclosing all, the rainbow 
shines out conspicuously. The effect of the rainbow, 
as seen at night when the interior of the Cathedral is 
illuminated, is something remarkable. 

The adjoining window represents 

THE SACRIFICE OF MELCHISEDECH. 

Here is beautifully portrayed the scene that took 
place in "the woodland vale which now is the salt sea," 
when "Melchisedech, the King of Salem, bringing 
forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the 
most high God, blessed Abram, and said: Blessed be 
Abram by the most high God, who created heaven 
and earth." In the foreground is seen the majestic 
form of Melchisedech in regal attire, holding in his 
hands a smoking censer, and in the act of incensing 
the offering of bread and wine before him, in which 
was so literally foreshadowed the Sacrifice of the 
Mass. Around him stand Abram and a group of 
armed warriors, just returned from victory. In the 



188 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

tracery above this scene an angel keeps watch, and 
around the circle that incloses it is the legend in 
Latin, "Thou art a priest forever according to the 
order of Melchisedech." 

The first window on the south side of the sanctuary 
represents 

THE SACRIFICE OF ABRAHAM. 

The three figures, the angel, Abraham, and Isaac, 
fill the foreground. On a rude altar of wood and pile 
of faggots the boy, with hands bound, reclines, his 
countenance not betraying the least suspicion of harm. 
A vessel filled with fire stands ready near the altar 
to consume the human sacrifice, while the patriarch 
"has taken the sword to sacrifice his son, and behold 
an angel of the Lord called to him saying : Abraham ! 
Abraham ! lay not thy hand upon the boy." The face 
of the "father of the faithful" is full of astonishment, 
showing admirably the depth of his conviction that 
God must be obeyed, even though an angel should for- 
bid. The calm expression of the angel forms a strik- 
ing contrast with that of the patriarch, as the former 
stays the stroke gently with one hand, and with the 
other points to "a ram amongst the briars, sticking fast 
by the horns." In the background is a well wrought 
out mountain scene in "the land of vision." This 
window is the gift of Daniel J. Murphy, San Fran- 
cisco. 

The subject of the next window is 

THE EATING OF THE PASCHAL LAMB. 

Here we have the interior of a Hebrew household. 
The time is the night of the institution of the feast of 




ST. PATRICK:. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 189 

the Passover, in the land of Egypt. The father of 
the family with uplifted hands and eyes is engaged 
in profound prayer, in which the other members unite, 
as they stand around the board, their loins girt, shoes 
on their feet and holding staves in their hands, while 
a slave bears in the paschal lamb, "roasted whole, with 
the head and feet and entrails thereof." A boy is 
seated at his father's feet, deeply intent on fastening 
his sandal for a journey he must soon make. At the 
door is seen a female sprinkling the door-cheeks with 
"a bunch of hyssop, steeped in the blood of the lamb, 
that he who destroyed the first-born might not touch 
them," whilst out against the dark night sky is seen the 
destroying angel speeding on his errand of destruction. 
The sixth and last of the windows of the Sacrifice 
represents that of which all the others were but types 
and figures — the great Sacrifice of Calvary. In the 
distance rises the Mount of Calvary, with three naked 
crosses standing out against the sky. The sacrifice is 
over, Christ has been laid in the tomb. The sun of 
justice is rising behind Calvary. An allegorical figure 
of Error is seen fleeing into the night, surrounded by 
owls and bats and the emblems of darkness, and 
stumbling over the debris of broken altars and imple- 
ments of pagan worship. In the foreground rises an 
allegorical figure of Truth, who, with uplifted cross, 
rules the world. Before this figure stands an altar 
on which a kneeling form is placing the noblest offer- 
ing ever made to Truth in this hemisphere. The figure 
is that of His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of 
New York ; the offering is the new St. Patrick's Cathe- 
dral. This window bears on it an inscription com- 
memorating the date of His Eminence's creation as 



190 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Cardinal, March 15, 1875. It is the gift of John 
Laden. 

The idea of the above six windows of the Sacrifice 
guarding the grand altar on which the most adorable 
Sacrifice of the Mass is to be offered will be recognized 
as one of the happiest conceptions in connection with 
the Cathedral. These windows will stand, we trust, 
for ages, as living witnesses to the fact that a priest- 
hood, an altar, and a sacrifice have ever been essential 
elements in the worship of God, 

We now come to the windows of the apse. The 
subject of the first of these, beginning on the south 
side, in order to follow here also the chronological 
order, is 

THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. 

The scene represented is that which took place when 
Our Lord "cried with a loud voice: Lazarus! come 
forth." With one hand Christ is pointing toward 
heaven, as if the echo of His prayer, ''Father, I give 
Thee thanks that Thou hast heard Me," still lingered 
in the air. With the other He points to Lazarus, and 
seems to order those present "to loose him and let him 
go." The face of Lazarus is a good subject for a 
meditation on death. He is verily a risen corpse "of 
now four days." He is kneeling at the entrance of the 
sepulcher, with the expression of one called suddenly 
from a deep sleep, half doubting, half dreaming. Be- 
hind him stands a male friend who is in the act of 
removing the napkin that is bound about his head. An 
aged female is wrapped in prayer, and at her side, 
kneeling at the feet of the Master, is Martha, with a 
look of unutterable fear mingled with joy. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 191 

This window is the gift of Miss Ann Eliza Mc- 
Laughlin. 

THE COMMUNION OF ST. JOHN. 

In this window is represented the scene at the Last 
Supper when Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke, 
and gave to His disciples and said : "Take ye and eat : 
this is My body/' "The disciple whom Jesus loved" is 
kneeling in the foreground, his eyes fixed on the 
Saviour's face, who, standing, is in the act of pre- 
senting His sacred body with His right hand to St. 
John, and in His left holding a chalice. Around the 
supper-table, in the background, are five of the Apos- 
tles looking on with wrapt attention. The window is 
a most appropriate offering and subject to commemor- 
ate the First Communion of the donor. Miss Mamie 
Caldwell. 

The central window of the apse presents the scene of 

THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD. 

This window justly occupies the most conspicuous 
site in the sanctuary, as its subject is the hinge on 
which all our faith turns. "If Christ be not risen then 
our preaching is vain, and your faith also is vain." It 
contains also the best executed figure of our blessed 
Lord in the whole collection of stained glass. Our 
Lord is rising from the tomb, and bears in His right 
hand a bright banner on which a cross is emblazoned. 
The face and form are full of calm dignity and grace. 
Beneath the risen Saviour two of the guards are tak- 
ing to flight, while a third has fallen down with fear, 
a picture of abject helplessness. An angel, bearing a 
palm branch, is tranquilly seated on the stone that has 



192 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

been rolled back from the mouth of the sepulcher, and 
is awaiting the coming of "Mary Magdalen, Joanna, 
and Mary the mother of James," who are seen ap- 
proaching in the distance. This window is the gift of 
the Diocese of Buffalo. 

The subject of the fourth window of the apse is 

THE GIVING OF THE KEYS TO ST. PETER. 

Our Lord is standing, and in the act of addressing to 
the Prince of the Apostles the words, "Thou art Peter, 
and I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of 
heaven." With His right hand the Saviour presents 
the keys, and with His left points to heaven, as if to 
remind Peter of the account to be rendered there. The 
Apostle, kneeling in an attitude of deep humility, hears 
the promise of the great trust to be committed to him 
— the government of the universal Church. 

Six other disciples are witnesses of the scene. In 
the distance a mountain landscape, and on the summit 
of one are seen the towers and battlements of a city, 
an allusion to the words "the kingdom of God is like to 
a city seated on a mountain." This window is the gift 
of the Diocese of Brooklyn. 

The fifth and last window of the apse represents 

JESUS MEETING THE DISCIPLES GOING TO EMMAUS. 

The risen Saviour is reproaching the disciples' in- 
credulity with the words : "O foolish and slow of heart 
to believe. Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
things, and so to have entered into His glory?" It is 
the beginning of the journey, as appears from the fact 
that they have just come out of Jerusalem, whose gate, 
walls, and battlements are seen near by. In the dis- 
tance, turning an angle of the high-road, is seen a 




'to'aof-vLft': i rcLO ca \ 



PU 1_PI' 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 193 

horseman, with servant on foot. The expression of 
Our Lord's face is full of sweetness, while the counte- 
nances of the disciples are full of tender remorse for 
having, for a moment, wavered in their faith. This 
window is inscribed : ''In Memoriam W. M." 

Space would not permit us to enter into the descrip- 
tion of the tracery of these windows, which teem with 
beautifully executed figures of angels, and texts from 
Scripture. If it be asked why so much time is spent 
on details that can not be seen, we reply in the words 
of Pugin, who was lavish of pains on the least detail 
of his work, *'God sees it." 

THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. 

In the north chancel aisle, the window in the first 
bay represents the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin 
in the Temple. The high-priest, in rich vesture, ad- 
vances to receive the child, while St. Joachim and St. 
Anne modestly remain standing behind. The friends 
of the family are assembled to witness the ceremony. 
This bears the inscription, "John Kelly, In Memoriam." 
The next is : 

THE ADORATION OF THE CHILD JESUS. 

The shepherds crowd around, some on bended knee ; 
on the opposite side the Magi approach, bearing their 
precious gifts. This is the gift of Thomas H. O'Con- 
nor. Finally, the Blessed Virgin exposes to our ven- 
eration the Infant after His birth. The face of the 
Mother is admirable. This window is the gift of Mrs. 
Julia Coleman. 

THE DEATH OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Opposite this window, on the south aisle of the 
church, we come to the "Death of St. Joseph ;" our 



194 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

divine Lord is seen sitting near the foot of the couch 
upon which St. Joseph Hes dying. The Blessed Virgin 
is kneeling in prayer near the head ; on high two angels 
hold a scroll, on which is written, "Blessed are the dead 
who die in the Lord." The attitude, the attire, the 
coloring of this group, and the beautiful expression of 
the features, render it one of the most pleasing win- 
dows of the collection. This window is the gift of 
Joseph Florimond Loubat. 

ST. ALPHONSUS, ST. TERESA,, ST. SUSANNA. 

In the center bay of the next window we see a life- 
size figure of St. Alphonsus Liguori, vested in cope 
and miter and holding the monstrance in his hand. 
The scene underneath represents St. Alphonsus mirac- 
ulously giving speech to a dumb youth. The saint 
holds a statue of our blessed Lady in his hand and as 
the youth approaches, asks him : "What is this ?" The 
youth, speaking for the first time in his life, answers: 
"A statue of the Blessed Virgin !" The surprised look 
and attitude of the youth as he stands before the saint, 
and hears the sound of his own voice, is admirably por- 
trayed in the picture. Beneath is the inscription: "In 
memory of Joseph Alphonse Loubat." The figure in 
the left hand bay represents St. Teresa, one of the great 
mystic writers of the Church, whose wonderful life is 
known to all. Underneath : Our divine Lord appear- 
ing to the saint a short time before her death. This 
bay is inscribed : "In memory of Theresa Aimee Lou- 
bat, Countess of Comminges Guitaut." The figure in 
the right hand bay represents St. Susanna, the martyr ; 
the scene underneath, the angel protecting Susanna 
from the evil designs of Maximian, the infidel, and 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 195 

chosen heir to the Roman throne, to whom her relative, 
the emperor Diocletian, wished to wed her, for which 
she suffered death, rather than obey him, and break her 
vows to God. Given by Susan Elizabeth Loubat. 

ST. AGNES, ST. JAMES, ST. THOMAS. 

The next window is divided in the same way. In 
the center a life-size figure of St. Agnes, the virgin 
martyr of Rome, is seen: underneath the angel pro- 
tects her from the pagan and casts him, blinded, to the 
ground. In the right hand bay the Apostle St. James 
the Greater stands forth; the scene below this figure 
represents the Blessed Virgin appearing to him at Sara- 
gossa, in Spain, and on the spot where was built a 
church that is known to the present day as the church 
of the Pillar of St. Mary, because the Blessed Virgin 
appeared to the Apostle on a pillar, which yet remains. 
The figure in the left hand bay is St. Thomas, the 
Apostle. Underneath he is seen touching the sacred 
wound in the side of Our Lord, whom he would not 
believe had risen from the dead until he would behold 
Him himself and see His wounds. This window is the 
gift of Mrs. Agnes Maitland. 

Having described the windows of the sanctuary, we 
turn now to the soutliern arm of the transept, where 
we meet, first : 

THE WINDOW OF ST. LOUIS, KING OF FRANCE. 

Here we have presented to us a memorable event in 
the life of that saint. He had rendered great services 
to Baldwin, Emperor of Constantinople, and received 
from, him in return the gift of many precious relics of 
Our Lord's Passion. To receive these sacred relics 



196 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

worthily, the King built the Sainte Chapelle of Paris. 
The subject, then, is the solemn procession in which the 
relics are borne to their resting-place. In the fore- 
ground is seen the saint, bearing on a richly embroidered 
cushion the crown of thorns ; on either side walk two 
prelates, bearing each a jewelled casket containing, one 
of them a portion of the true cross, the other the nails. 
All three walk barefoot, and over them is borne a rich 
canopy of royal purple, shot with the golden fleurs-de- 
lis of France. Behind the King is seen Queen Blanche, 
his mother, surrounded by nobles wearing the coronets 
distinctive of their rank. The artist has succeeded ad- 
mirably in imparting to every face an expression of 
devout reverence. Underneath is the inscription, 
"From Henry L. Hoguet." 
Adjoining this is 

THE WINDOW OF THE SACRED HEART. 

In this scene Our Lord is standing on the predella of 
an altar. Clouds encircle His feet, and cherubs hover 
around Him. Before Him Blessed Margaret Mary is 
kneeling, looking in ecstasy at the Heart of Jesus, to 
which He points, an expression of ineffable tenderness 
lighting up His face. An angel stands in the back- 
ground, holding a scroll, on which we read the words : 
''Voila le cceur que tant aime les hommes" — ''Behold 
the Heart that loves men so much." Behind Blessed 
Margaret is a nun, kneeling at a prie dieu, reading at- 
tentively. The whole is a happy rendering of the ap- 
parition which has given such an impetus to the beau- 
tiful devotion of the Sacred Heart. The window is 
from Mrs. Eleanora Iselin. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 197 

Passing next to the north transept, we find on the 
same line, first: 

ST. PAULAS WINDOW. 

The Apostle of the Gentiles is here seen preaching 
before the sages of the Areopagus. His action is full 
of the well-known energy of St. Paul's character. With 
arms outstretched between heaven and his hearers, he 
has startled the novelty-loving Athenians into listening, 
by his bold exordium, "Ye men of Athens, I perceive 
that in all things ye are too superstitious. For passing 
by and seeing your idols, I found an altar also on which 
was written: To the unknown God. What, therefore, 
you worship without knowing it, that I preach to you." 
On the faces of the venerable group before him are 
written all stages of belief, from doubt to deepest con- 
viction, as they stand or sit in every attitude of pro- 
found attention. Prominent amongst them is seen 
one on whose noble features is stamped an expression 
of faith and goodness which marks him as no other 
than Dionysius the Areopagite, the most distinguished 
of the Athenian converts, who, the same tradition says, 
afterward preached the faith in Gaul and founded the 
church of Paris. Viewed from an artistic standpoint, 
the heads of the Grecian elders are studies worthy of a 
master, and the whole scene is instinct with life. This 
window bears the inscription : "To the memory of 
Rev. John Kelly, from his brother Eugene." 

Adjoining this is 

THE WINDOW OF ST. AUGUSTINE AND ST. MONICA. 

St. Augustine stands by the death-bed of his mother, 
St. Monica. His head is bowed down in sadness as he 



198 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

listens to the last wishes of her who has been to him 
twice a mother. Her last injunction is, "My son, when 
I am dead lay this body anywhere, but remember me 
always at the altar of God." An attendant is raising 
the arm of the dying saint, with which she seems about 
to bless, for the last time, her son. Around the apart- 
ment stand weeping friends and attendants. In the 
distance is seen a view of Ostia-on-the-Tiber where the 
saint died. This window bears the inscription : "From 
Mamie and Lina Caldwell in memory of their parents." 

ST. Matthew's window. 

It is located on the east side of the north transept 
door. A life-size figure of the Evangelist, with pen in 
one hand and book of his Gospel in the other, occupies 
the central bay. Beneath him is the distinctive symbol 
of St. Matthew, the figure of an angel. The two lateral 
bays are filled with four scenes from the life of the 
saint. These are: 1, St. Matthew's vocation, in which 
Our Lord is represented saying to him, "Follow Me ;" 
2, he preaches the Gospel in Ethiopia; 3, he raises the 
king's son from the dead; 4, the saint's martyrdom. 
This window is the gift of Andrew Clarke. 

On the west side of the same door we find 

ST. mark's window. 
The figure of the Evangelist, with pen and book, the 
winged lion of St. Mark reposing at his feet, fills the 
central bay of this window. Four scenes from the 
saint's life fill the two side bays. These are: 1, writ- 
ing the Gospel in company with St. Peter ; 2, he builds 
the church of St. Peter, Alexandria; 3, Our Lord ap- 
pears to him in prison; 4, his martyrdom. This win- 
dow is the gift of Bernard Maguire. 




ALTAR or S-r. B£:rnaRD y\TsiD ST. 



bridge:' 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 199 

In the south transept, on the west side of the en- 
trance, is 

ST. luke's window. 

Here, too, the central bay is occupied by the figure of 
the EvangeHst, with the customary pen and book, and 
beneath is the figure of an ox, the emblem of St. Luke. 
The four scenes from the life of the saint that fill the 
two remaining bays are: 1, he is writing his Gospel 
in company with St. Paul; 2, his preaching and con- 
versions in the Thebaid; 3, he paints the portrait of 
the Blessed Virgin ; 4, his martyrdom. This window is 
the gift of Denis J. Dwyer. 

ST. John's window 

occupies the corresponding position on the east side 
of the south transept door. The Evangelist, holding 
as usual the pen and book, an eagle, the emblem of St. 
John, perched at his feet, is the .central figure of this 
window. The four scenes from the saint's life are : 
1, he is reposing on the bosom of Our Lord ; 2, he, in 
company with St. Peter, cures the cripple at the "Beau- 
tiful Gate" of the Temple, saying: "In the name of 
Jesus, arise and walk;" 3, he converts the young man 
who had become an outlaw ; 4, he is writing his Apoca- 
lypse. This window is the gift of William Joyce. The 
above-named four windows are the work of M. Ely 
of Nantes. 

On the west wall of the north transept is 

THE WINDOW OF ST. CHARLES BORROMEO. 

The saintly cardinal, bearing a crucifix, advances in 
solemn procession from the door of the Cathedral of 



200 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Milan. Before him lie prostrate two victims of the 
plague. One of the figures is that of a mother, to 
whom clings a distracted child. It is a most graphic 
description of the horrors of- the plague. Below is 
represented the scene of the dissolute monk firing at 
the cardinal, who is conducting evening prayer in his 
private chapel. This window is the gift of Lorenzo 
Delmonico. 

On the west wall of the south transept is 

THE WINDOW OF ST. PATRICK, 

designed and presented by the architect. It is of par- 
ticular interest on account of the subjects introduced. 
St. Patrick is represented preaching to an assembly of 
peasants, whose faces are admirable types of Celtic 
character. In the distance is seen a primitive wooden 
church in process of erection. The scene underneath 
represents the architect James Renwick submitting his 
plan to Archbishop Hughes, who is seated at a table. 
His Eminence Cardinal McCloskey stands in the fore- 
ground, holding the diagram of that part of the build- 
ing which he has altered from the original plan. Be- 
hind His Eminence stands M. Lorin, the maker of the 
window, Rev. John M. Farley, secretary of the Cardi- 
nal, and a few religious, who furnished the historical 
scenes that have been so vividly realized in the various 
windows throughout the Cathedral. The portraits are 
excellent, and so perfect are the details that on a port- 
folio resting against the table may be read: "J^'^^s 
Renwick, Esq., New York." 

Turning now toward the ''long drawn aisles" there 
remain ten windows which merit a more detailed de- 
scription than the space allotted to us will permit. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 201 

However, owing to their proximity to the spectator, 
their many, even the least, beauties are within easy 
view. Beginning on the north, or Gospel side, at the 
angle of the transept, we meet first with 

ST. Bernard's window. 

The scene here laid before us is St. Bernard preach- 
ing the Second Crusade. Habited in the simple white 
robe of the Cistercian Order, with shaven crown, the 
cross uplifted in one hand, the other resting on his 
breast and his eyes raised to heaven, the figure of St. 
Bernard forms a striking contrast to the group around 
him. Mail-clad warriors of every age, from maturity 
upward, listen eagerly to the burning words of the 
greatest preacher of his time. The effect of the saint's 
thrilling eloquence on his hearers is seen in the eager 
gestures of the leaders among them, many of whom are 
offering their drawn swords to heaven, as if pleading 
to be allowed to fight the battle of God. The picture 
is full of life, and the treatment of this subject is his- 
torically correct. This window is the gift of the Dio- 
cese of Rochester. 

The subject of the next window is 

THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. LAWRENCE. 

The figure of the martyr, on which all the interest of 
this scene centers, is considered by all who have seen it 
a masterpiece. The saint is stretched on a gridiron ; a 
glowing fire blazes beneath him; his Acts tell us that 
"his face appeared to be surrounded with an extra- 
ordinary light, and his broiled body to exhale a sweet, 
agreeable smell." His eyes are turned toward the 
cruel judge who directs the barbarous execution, and 



202 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

to whom he seems to say, with a smiling countenance, 
as his Acts relate: "Let my body be now turned; one 
side is broiled enough." The savage cruelty of the 
judge's expression is in marked contrast to the meek- 
ness of the martyr's look. The crouching figure of 
the executioner in the foreground, as he plies his horrid 
work, is a study. This window is the gift of the Dio- 
cese of Ogdensburg. 
Adjoining this is 

THE WINDOW OF THE BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN 
SCHOOLS. 

The scene represented here is the Papal approbation 
of the Constitution of the Brothers of the Christian 
Schools, by Benedict XIII., January 26, 1725. 

The Pope is seated on a throne, and in the act of re- 
ceiving from Brother Timothy, Superior General, a 
volume, supported on a richly embroidered cushion, 
and containing the Rules of the Society. The faces of 
the assembled Brothers are full of intense anxiety, as 
the event is for them full of the deepest interest. Their 
dark habits contrast strikingly with the bright uniforms 
of the members of the Papal court. The window is 
the gift of the Christian Brothers. 

The next is one of the brightest pictures in the Cathe- 
dral: it is 

THE WINDOW OF ST. COLUMBANUS. 

The subject of this painting is briefly this, as related 
in Cantu's Universal History: Thierry II., King of 
Burgundy, led a life that was the scandal of his king- 
dom. He had often, but to no purpose, been rebuked 
and threatened by his own clergy. St. Columbanus, 




orOGf>A\'LR€ 



ALTAR or -ST. JOy-\r< B. DE UA SAL-UE 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 203 

though a comparative stranger, had but a few years 
before migrated from Ireland and founded a monastery 
near the palace of the King. The latter, hearing of the 
saint's austerities, and wishing to be on friendly terms 
with him, visited the monastery, bringing with him rich 
presents of delicate viands and wine. In the scene 
presented to us the saint meets the King at the door of 
the monastery, rebukes him for his scandalous life, and 
with a blow strikes from the hand of the attendant the 
rare vessel of wine, saying: *'God rejects the gifts of 
the wicked, nor ought they to pollute the lips of the 
servant of God." The King is at once converted, be- 
comes contrite, and humbly sues to be reconciled to the 
Church. Behind the King is seen the stately figure of 
Brunichilda, whose nuptials had never been blessed by 
the Church, but who had been to Thierry as Queen. 
She, having prayed the saint to bless her offspring, re- 
ceives for answer, "No; and of them none shall ever 
wield the scepter of his father, because they are the 
children of sin." The proud woman is seen retreating, 
with a gesture of reprobation, toward her converted 
husband, regarding the monk with a look of intense 
hatred. The scene would require pages to do it justice. 
This window is inscribed : "In memory of Daniel Dev- 
lin, from his brothers Jeremiah and William." The 
four above-named windows are the work of M. Lorin. 
The last in this, the north aisle, is 

THE WINDOW OF THE THREE BAPTISMS. 

The three baptisms are, as termed in theology, the 
baptism of water, the baptism of blood by martyrdom, 
and the baptism of desire when no one is near to ad- 
minister the sacrament, and the soul ardently desires 



204 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

it. These are the three gates through some one of which 
all who are to be saved, must enter into the city of 
God. This window is appropriately placed near the 
main entrance, and over the chapel of the baptistery. 
In the central bay is the scene of Our Lord's baptism 
by St. John, the baptism of water; to the right is the 
scene of a martyrdom, and in the left bay a solitary 
reclining figure dying with a desire to be baptized, to 
"be dissolved and be with Christ." This window is the 
gift of James McKenna. 

Crossing now to the south aisle we first meet with 

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL''s WINDOW. 

In the central division of this window stands a life- 
size figure of the saint, habited in stole and surplice. 
The expression on his benign countenance is all we 
would look for on the face of the messenger of charity. 
The two scenes in the lateral bays give the two grand 
features of his life — his devotion to homeless children 
and to the worst class of criminals. On the right hand 
the saint is represented calmly seated whilst the ball- 
and-chain of a galley-slave is made fast to his foot. 
The prisoner whose punishment the holy man has taken 
on him is seen going on his way rejoicing. On the left 
St. Vincent is holding an infant in his arms, while he 
directs the attention of a Sister of Charity to another 
little waif asleep on the pavement. This window is the 
gift of James Olwell. The two last-mentioned win- 
dows are from the studio of M. Ely of Nantes. 

We next come to 

THE WINDOW OF ST. ELIZABETH, ST. ANDREW, AND ST. 
CATHERINE. 

The three bays of this window are filled, each with 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 205 

an admirably executed life-size figure of one of these 
saints. St. Andrew the Apostle holds the place of 
honor in the center. He is represented as if in the act 
of taking upon him the cross on which he, like St. 
Peter, had the glory of receiving the martyr's crown. 
The expression on his furrowed features is one of calm 
courage, which seems to come to him from heaven, on 
which his uplifted eyes are fixed. Beneath him is a 
finished miniature, if we may be allowed to so name 
anything so large, representing the scene of the martyr's 
execution. The same face is recognizable in this as 
that of the larger figure above, notwithstanding the 
difference of dimensions. In the right compartment 
of the window is the figure of St. Catherine of Alex- 
andria, martyr. She holds in one hand the palm branch 
of victory, and with the other leans on a wheel, the 
instrument of her cruel torture and glorious death. 
Beneath is a beautiful and graphic rendering of the 
espousals of St. Catherine to Our Lord, which Rubens 
has made so memorable. The Infant Jesus is seated 
on the lap of His Virgin Mother, and, smiling sweetly, 
places a ring on the finger of the saint, who is kneeling 
at the feet of the Virgin. This reward the saint re- 
ceived in a vision, after having vowed her virginity to 
Christ. In the left bay is a figure of equal size with 
the others — of St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary. Her 
eyes are cast down, looking in wonder at the miracle 
God has performed in her behalf. The object of her 
regard is a bouquet of exquisite flowers, which she 
holds in the folds of her mantle. Beneath the figure 
is the explanation. St. Elizabeth, who loves the good 
poor exceedingly, is here represented, after the true 
history, as told in her life by Montalembert, as carrying 



206 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

bread to some of her clients, when she is met by her 
husband, who has had unjust suspicions. He insists on 
seeing what his spouse carries so carefully concealed; 
she unfolds her mantle, when lo ! the bread has turned 
to flowers. This was heaven's approbation of the saint's 
charity and rebuke to her husband. This window is in- 
scribed, "From the family of J. A. and Eliza O'Reilly." 
The adjoining window is regarded by all as one of 
the chastest designs in the Cathedral; its subject is 

THE ANNUNCIATION. 

The Blessed Virgin is here represented kneeling : her 
countenance does not betray a shadow of surprise at 
the appearance of her angelic visitor, who, with a look 
of profound respect, is in the act of delivering the mes- 
sage which has brought so much "Glory to God on high 
and peace on earth to men." The interior of the house 
of Nazareth is evidently copied in all its details from 
the Holy House of Loretto, as any one who has seen 
the latter will at once recognize. Through the door, 
which is partially concealed by a half-drawn curtain, is 
seen St. Joseph in his carpenter shop, discussing, doubt- 
less, the details of some little household improvement 
pertaining to his trade, with an elderly female. The 
same peace and silence appear to reign over the simple 
scene without, as over the momentous one taking place 
within between God's messenger and God's Mother 
soon to be. The position this window occupies throws 
it out in greater relief, and lends it new attraction, as 
the visitor will at once realize when, passing from the 
turbulent field of battle, his eye rests on the peaceful 
home of Nazareth. This window is the gift of William 
and John O'Brien. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 207 

We next come to 

ST. henry's window. 

This is a battle-piece that, it has been said, would do 
honor to the Louvre. The subject of the window is 
the battle fought by St. Henry, Emperor of Germany, 
with the Slavonians, who had risen up against the 
ecclesiastical authorities, put to death priests, drove 
bishops from their sees, and generally laid waste the 
fair land of Poland. The aid of the Emperor was in- 
voked, who, ever willing to raise his arm in the cause 
of God, went to the assistance of the distressed. The 
enemy outnumbered the Emperor's troops by thou- 
sands. The saint, however, did not lose heart. He 
heard Mass early in the morning, at which all his troops 
devoutly assisted, and, invoking the blessing of the 
God of battles on his arms, went forth fearlessly to 
victory. That no assurance of triumph might be want- 
ing to him, God vouchsafed to reveal to him the pres- 
ence, in the field, of St. Lawrence, St. Adrian, and St. 
George, fighting on the side of the Emperor. This 
painting needs no comment. It is instinct with life and 
''"movement," as artists say. This window is the gift 
of Henry J. Anderson. 

The last window that remains for us to speak of is 

THE WINDOW OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. 

The scene which this window portrays is the mem- 
orable one which took place in Rome in* the year 1854, 
when the beloved Pontiff, Pius IX., proclaimed to 
the world the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. 
The Sovereign Pontiff is standing on his throne after 
having proclaimed the dogma, urhi et orhi, and in the 



208 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

act of giving the apostolic benediction, while he holds 
in his left hand the decree of the dogma. The well- 
known, benign features of the lamented Pius are easily 
recognized. The surrounding group is a good repre- 
sentation of the Church. Here we have cardinals, 
patriarchs, bishops, prelates, priests, and religious of 
several Orders in the distinctive habits of their congre- 
gations. The bright costumes of the Papal household 
troops give additional animation to the scene. Above 
the head of the Pope is a figure of the Immaculate Con- 
ception. The statues of Sts. Peter and Paul, on either 
side, will be recognized by all who have seen the origi- 
nals as admirable reproductions of the two magnificent 
statues of the Apostles that stand guardians of the en- 
trance to St. Peter's, Rome. This window is the gift 
of the Diocese of Newark. 




\/ / / / / / / 







ALTAR or ST. ATJOUSTLNE 



CHAPTER V. 

Description of the New Cathedral. 

(Continued.) 

The Statues. — The Chapels. — The Paintings. 
— The Chimes. — The Organs. — Lighting. — Heat- 
ing. — Ventilation. 

The Statues. 

The statues in the north transept are the gifts of 
Mrs. Joseph W. Drexel. West of the portal in the 
upper tier is St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican 
Order. East of the portal is St. Thomas Aquinas, the 
greatest Doctor of the Church. In the lower tier are 
the four great Fathers of the Eastern Church, St. 
Athanasius, St. Gregory Nazianzen, St. Basil the 
Great, and St. John Chrysostom. These four statues 
in the lower tier were made by J. Massey Rhind.* 

In the upper tier of the south transept we have, east 
of the portal, St. Gregory the Great and St. Francis de 
Sales; west of the portal are St. Ambrose and St. 
Jerome. In the lower tier, east of the portal are St. 
Anselm and St. Bernard ; west of the portal are St. 
Bonaventure, the great Doctor of the Franciscan Order, 
and St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Congrega- 
tion of the Most Holy Redeemer. The statue of St. 
Alphonsus was donated by the Redemptorist Fathers; 
the estate of St. Bonaventure by the Franciscan 

* New doors of bronze have just been set in the north and south 
transepts. The design, by Thomas H. Poole, is elaborately worked out 
in harmony with the Gothic lines and ornamentation of the Cathedral. 
The panels of the base bear the arms of the four Archbishops of New 
York. The doors were executed by Paul E. Cabaret. 



210 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Fathers. The other statues are the gifts of Mrs. Joseph 
W. Drexel. Mr. Sibbel made the four statues in the 
lower niches, and installed them in April, 1903. The 
statue of St. Francis de Sales was placed on August 8, 
1891; that of St. Ambrose on August 11, 1891. All 
the statues are of Carrara marble. 

The massive pair of Benediction lights on either side 
of the sanctuary were given by Mr. and Mrs. John 
C. Moore in memory of Mrs. Moore's father, Louis de 
Bebian. 

The chapel at the beginning of the north aisle is used 
as a baptistery for the present. Adjoining is the Cole- 
man chapel, erected by James S. Coleman in memory 
of the deceased members of the Coleman family. The 
altar is dedicated to St. Bernard and St. Bridget, and 
is a unique as well as an artistic ornament to the inte- 
rior of the Cathedral. The background to the altar is a 
perfect reproduction of the doorway of St. Bernard's 
chapel, Mellifont, County Louth, Ireland, built A.D. 
1142. 

About three miles from Mellifont monastery was 
situated the ancient monastery of Clonmacnoise, which, 
for a long time, was the most celebrated religious com- 
munity in Ireland, and distinguished as the chief school 
of art and learning in that country. The abbot be- 
longed to the family whose territory lay in the County 
Louth. The monastery was erected in the early part 
of the tenth century by the Abbot Coleman, who died, 
according to the Four Masters, in A.D. 924. 

The cross in the center panel of the communion table 
is an exact reproduction, on a smaller scale, of the 
cross of the scriptures at Clonmacnoise. The original 
is about eleven feet high. About three miles from 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 211 

Mellifont, as above noted, was the ancient monastery 
erected by St. Boyne in the tenth century, and the 
famous cross, elegant in its details and ornaments, its 
fillets and tracery, and its scroll work of the tenth cen- 
tury, has been exactly reproduced, on a small scale, on 
its obverse and reverse on the outside panels of the 
communion table. Other crosses at the sides of the 
communion table represent other abbots of the family 
of Coleman at Mellifont. 

Great attention was paid to the marbles used in the 
chapel ; the arch and the fascia, the canopies and their 
pedestals are of Eschallion. The marble of the green 
columns is known as Verde Calabrese. The yellow 
marble in the panels under the grilles, and in the panels 
of the altar proper, is from the celebrated quarries of 
the nuns of the Societa Santa Maria Maddelena near 
Sienna, and such is its value that the product of these 
quarries is sold by weight. 

The altar marble is called Beluglia, and the crosses 
are from Crestaline. The plinths and margins of the 
predella are made from flowered Bardiglia. The 
ashlar work is called penumbria, and the small columns 
are in Mexican green onyx. Even the flooring retains 
the Celtic character, in a ribbon border to the Bardiglia 
being shown as a shamrock, and this same emblem of 
Ireland is also fashioned in the bronze gates. 

To reproduce these details suitable to a metropolitan 
Cathedral, required great time, preparation, and study, 
and the consultation of many works of learned authors 
who have written on the antiquities of Ireland, besides 
a visit by Mr. Coleman to the site of the original mon- 
astery at Mellifont. The architect entrusted with the 
work was Mr. Henry Glentworth Wynn ; the sculpture 



212 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

was executed by Draddy Brothers. The altar was con- 
secrated May 30, 1903, by Archbishop Farley. 

The St. de la Salle chapel, the gift of the Brothers 
of the Christian Schools, is dedicated to their founder, 
and is appropriately placed beneath the beautiful win- 
dow donated to the Cathedral by the Brothers. The 
altar is Gothic. The various kinds of marble used in 
the construction are known as the Eschallion Blanc, 
from the south of France, for the reredos ; the Blanc P. 
Italian for the panels ; Mexican onyx for the columns ; 
the best of Carrara for the statue of St. de la Salle; 
beautiful Tennessee varieties for the walls and floor, 
and the variety called Ravaccine, from Italy, for all 
the other parts of the altar. One of the panels repre- 
sents St. de la Salle distributing alms to the poor; the 
title of this panel is "The Corporal Works of Mercy;" 
the other represents the saint teaching, entitled "The 
Spiritual Works of Mercy." The panel below the 
altar table represents the saint on his death-bed sur- 
rounded by Brothers, and the boy kneeling at the bed- 
side speaks of the saint's great love for youth. The 
statue is original, and the only one of its kind in the 
world, and with the exception of the church of St. 
John Baptist at Rheims, this is the first altar erected 
in honor of the saint in a public church. The sug- 
gestions and general designs of the altar were fur- 
nished by the Brothers themselves. The construction 
and sculpture were all done in New York City by D. 
Borgia. The altar was consecrated November 10, 
1900, by Archbishop Corrigan. 

The next chapel is dedicated to St. Augustine, the 
great Bishop of Hippo, and is the gift of Augustine 
Daly. The altar is of Carrara marble with decora- 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 213 

tions of Mexican onyx and Sienna marble. The statue 
represents the saint holding in his hand a heart as the 
symbol of his great tenderness and wonderful insight 
into the depths of the human heart. "Never did man 
unite in one and the same soul such stern rigor of logic 
with such tenderness of heart."* The panels repre- 
sent the baptism of Augustine by St. Ambrose, Bishop 
of Milan, and the meeting between the saint, who was 
meditating on the Holy Trinity, and a child trying with 
a shell to empty the ocean into a small hole in the 
ground. When asked why he was attempting such an 
impossible task, the child replied that it was not so im- 
possible as Augustine's effort to fathom the mystery 
of the Holy Trinity. Archbishop Corrigan consecrated 
the altar January 5, 1895. 

The altar of the Holy Face in the chapel of St. 
Veronica is the gift of Daniel Daly, of Brooklyn, the 
father of the Rev. W. J. B. Daly, for many years an 
assistant at the Cathedral. The altar is built of Car- 
rara marble, trimmed with Pratrana onyx from Mex- 
ico. A mosaic picture, representing the Holy Face, is 
the chief adornment of the altar. The sanctuary floor 
and the steps leading to the altar are of Italian marble. 
The top of the communion rail is of St. Baume marble, 
and is supported by fifteen onyx columns, surmounted 
with marble capitals. The altar was consecrated by 
Archbishop Corrigan on February 4, 1891. 

The beautiful holy water well at the beginning of the 
south aisle is the gift of Joseph Rutledge, for many 
years the verger of the Cathedral, The well is of pure 
Carrara marble, and was designed by Renwick, Aspin- 

* Mgr, Bougaud. 



214 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

wall & Owen. The work was executed by Draddy 
Brothers in 1898. 

The chapel of St. Anthony of Padua is the gift of 
Mrs. Joseph A. Donohoe, of San Francisco. In the 
center is a reHef of St. Anthony caressing the divine 
Infant. The altar is carved in marbles of Carrara and 
Sienna. Flanking the relief are statues of St. Anne 
and St. Monica. The altar was consecrated by Arch- 
bishop Corrigan on November 4, 1894. The design 
is by James Renwick, the execution by Draddy 
Brothers. 

The chapel of St. John the Evangelist is a memorial 
erected by Archbishop Corrigan to his predecessors — 
John Connolly, John Dubois, John Hughes, and John 
McCloskey. St. John is represented holding a chalice 
with a serpent coming out of the cup: this symbol 
alludes to the poisoned cup given to St. John to drink, 
over which he first made the sign of the cross and the 
poison came forth under the form of a serpent. The 
eagle is at his feet, and recalls that St. John soared 
higher on the wings of divine inspiration than any of 
the other Apostles. The statue is of white Carrara 
marble, the altar of dark Sienna marble. It was de- 
signed by Renwick and built by Draddy Brothers. 
Archbishop Corrigan consecrated the altar May 6, 1894. 
The next chapel is dedicated to St. Stanislaus 
Kostka, and is the gift of Miss Rose Rigney, in 
memory of her brother, the Rev. P. S. Rigney, who 
was an assistant in St. Andrew's Church, this city. The 
altar was consecrated by Archbishop Corrigan on June 
3, 1896, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the dead 
priest's ordination. It was designed and built by Peter 
Theis. 




AUTAR or THE HOLY r^C 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 215 

THE PAINTINGS. 

On the south side of the west portal is a beautiful 
copy of Raphael's "Transfiguration." The Saviour is 
transfigured between Moses and Elias, who represent 
the Law and the Prophets; Peter, James, and John lie 
prostrated by the dazzling light. To the left are St. 
Lawrence and St. Stephen in an attitude of adoration. 
In the lower part, the disciples are being urged to cure 
a possessed boy. This painting, together with the copy 
of the "Sistine Madonna," north of the west portal, 
were donated by the Hon. John Kelly. 

The "Flight into Egypt" by Pedro de Moya (1610- 
1666) and the "Doubting Thomas," are the gifts of the 
Hon. John D. Crimmins. The "Baptism of Our Lord," 
over the baptismal font, and the "Marriage Feast of 
Cana," behind the holy water well, as well as the 
"Return of the Prodigal Son," and the "St. Patrick 
Preaching at Tara," were presented by the Hon. John 
Kelly. The copy of the celebrated "Madonna del 
Sacco" painted by Andrea del Sarto in the church of 
the Servi, Florence, is the gift of Miss Rebecca Taft, 
New York. The "Tripartite," or three-part painting 
that hangs in the second bay of the north chancel aisle 
is the gift of Mr. J. F. Loubat. 

THE CHIMES. 

The Cathedral possesses the finest set of chimes in 
the United States. Nineteen bells constitute the set, 
and they were donated by parishioners and friends of 
the Cathedral. These bells hang in the northern spire 
of the Cathedral, one hundred and sixty feet above 
ground. They ring the Angelus daily at 8 A.M., 12 M., 
and 6 P.M. On Sundays, as well as on important 



216 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 



feast-days or national holidays, appropriate hymns or 
anthems are played. The names of the bells with their 
respective donors are : 



Weight of Weight of 
Tone Bell (lbs.) Clapper (lbs.) 

.6608 ....350 



Name of Bell 

1 St. Patrick ..B fl 

Donors, Cathedral Parishioners. 

2 Blessed Virgin C 4625.5 

Donor, Jno. B. Manning. 

3 St. Joseph D 3260 

Donor, Jos. J. O'Donohue. 

4 Holy Name .E fi 2693 

Donors, Holy Name Societies. 

5 St. Michael E 2319 

Donor, Mich. S. Coleman. 

6 St. Anne F 1956 

Donor, Henry McAleenan. 

7 St. Elizabeth G 1357 

Donor, Marquise de San Marzano. 

8 St. Augustine A fl 1162.7 

Donor, Augustine Daly. 

9 St. Anthony of Padua. ..A 971.13 

Donated in Memory of Edw. Fox. 

10 St. Agnes B fl 802 

Donated in IMemory of Jas. Ed. Fox. 

11 St. John the Evangelist. B 667.7 

Donor, John D. Crimmins. 

12 St. Bridget C 574 

Donated in Memory of Aloysia Miniter. 

13 St. Francis Xavier C sh.... 476.3 

Donors, The Catholic Club. 

14 St. Peter D 401.5 

Donor, Geo. B. Coleman. 

15 St. Cecilia E fl 345 

Donor, Mrs. Thos. F. Ryan. 

16 St. Helena E 286 

Donor, Eleonora Keyes. 

17 St. Alphonsus Liguori. .F 240.9 

Donor, Maria A. Mills. 



.258.5 
.183 
. 143.9 
. 128.7 
. 108.5 
. 82 
. 73.3 
. 58.3 
. 48 
. 43 
. 34.4 
. 29 
. 26.3 
. 21.1 
. 18.9 
. 17.3 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 217 

Weight of Weight of 
Name of Bell Tone Bell.(lbs.) Clapper (lbs.) 

18 St. Thomas Aquinas. . ..F sh.. . . 204 .... 14.3 

Donor, Thos. Kelly. 

19 St. Godfrey G 173 .... 13.8 

Donated in Memory of Jno. and Mary Koop. 

The chimes were made by Paccar d, of Annecy, 
Savoie, France. They were blessed August 15, 1897, 
by Archbishop Corrigan. Each bell bears an appropri- 
ate inscription in Latin verse and the name of the 
donor. The Latin verses were composed by the Rev. 
Philip Cardella, S.J. The English translation is by 
Michael J. A. McCaflfery, LL.D. 

The Bells. 

Gives . et • advenae O Citizens, O Strangers, Hear! 

Deciles . lubentes Lend willing heart no less than 

Audits • et . ab • alienis • dignoscite willing ear! 

Fidissimos . amicos • vestros From false discern the true, 

Vobis • a . numine . de • coelo . The faithful friends God-sent from 

missos heaven to you; 

Morum . religionis • felicitatis Trusty heralds we 

Veraces • praecones Of true religion, morals, and 

felicity. 

St. Patrick's Bell. 

Vester • Patritius . ego Your Patrick I; 

Sicut . patres . vestri . ita • et . vos As your sires, so also ye 

Manete . usque Ever be 

Mei . imitatores • aemulatores Emulators, imitators of me. 

— Ex stipe collata a parochianis — From the Cathedral Parishioners. 
Ecclesiae Cathedralis. 

Our Lady's Bell. 

Ave • Maria 
Mater • Dei . Domina • nostra Hail Mary, 

Suspiciant • te • beatamque . dicant Mother of God, Our Lady blest! 
Omnes . gentes • tribus . et . linguae With glad acclaim 

— Sumptibus Joannis B. Manning. Let all the nations, tribes, and 

tongues attest 
That ever blest shall be thy name. 
— Gift of John B. Manning. 



218 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 
St. Joseph's Bell. 

Josephus . Nazaretharlae familiae • Joseph, 

caput Once head of that most humble 

Universalis • ecclesiae • familiae • home 

Christi And Holy Family of Nazareth, 

Rite . dictus • patronus Now, gloriously become 

Prae . omnibus • coelicolis • post • The Patron of the household of the 
ejus . virginem . sponsam faith, 

Honoribus . cumulandus By holy Church, in grateful homage 

— MuniUcentia Josephi J. O'Dono- named, 

hue. By holy Church, with reverent rite 

proclaimed; 

To thee be shown 

Not earth's alone 

But heaven's highest honors next to 

Mary's own. 

— Gift of Joseph J. O'Donohue. 

Bell of the Holy Name. 

Jesus • mihi . nomen Jesus, my Holy Name, 

Qvod • est • super • omne • nomen All other names above; 

Et . non . est • in . alio • aliquo • salus Whose saving power and love 

— Sodales Sanctissimi Nominis No other name may claim. 
Totius Civitatis. — The Socialists of the Holy Name 

throughout the city. 

St. Michael's Bell. 

Michael Michael, 

Princeps .militiae • coelestis Prince of all the hosts of heaven, 

Cum . coeteris • animabus Among the souls whom God to thee 

Quibus . Dei . nutv . praees has given 

Perdue • in . paradisum . exultationis To guide and guard, 

— Sumptibus Michaelis S. Coleman. Be also ours within thy watch and 

ward; 

And when this earthly life is past 

Conduct us all to heavenly joys at 

last. 

— Gift of Michael S. Coleman. 

St. Anne's Bell. 

Anna • vocor The holy Anna's name bear I, 

Mea . filia • est Whose lowly child 

Dei • genitrix . virgo • Maria Is Mary mild. 

Mater • vestra • tenerrima The Virgin Mother of the Lord 

— Pecuniis Henrici McAleenan. most high: 

With purest mother-love will she 
Love you most tenderly. 
— Gift of Henry McAleenan. 




AUTAR or ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 219 



Elizabeth 

Dignissima • mater • Joannis 

Clamantis • adhuc 

Omnis • arbor 

Quae . non . facit . fructum . bonum 

In . ignem • mittetur 

— Dono dedit Marchionissa San 

Marsano. 



St. Elisabeth's Bell. 

Elizabeth, 
Most worthy mother of the Baptist 

John, 
Who calls, across the centuries 

gone, 
To these our days, with warning 

tone: 
"The tree that good fruit does not 

bear 

Shall into flames consuming fare." 

— Gift of the Marquise San Mar- 



St. Augustine's Bell. 



Quicumque • a • veritate • extorres . 

estis 

Augustinum • Hipponensem 

Praeclarissimum . ingenium 

Gratiae • Christi • miraculum 

Admiramini . imitamini 

— Ex dono Augustini Daly. 



Ye who now wander far astray 

In error's way. 

With great Augustine all your 

steps retrace — 

Whose glorious soul, regenerate. 

Shone forth, a marvel of Christ's 

saving grace; 

Admire and imitate. 

— Gift of Augustine Daly. 



Bell of St. Anthony of Padua. 



Antonius • a • Padua 

Eximie • carus . Deo • et • hominibus 

Quis . te . non . invocat 

Quis . te . non . diligit 

— In memoriam mariti carissimi 

Eduardi Fox, Lydia vidua incon- 

solabilis. 



of 



Ego . Agnes 
Agnum . magna . cura • enutrivi 
Ex . cujus . vellere • pallium . ipsa • 

contexui 
Pro . archiep • Neo-Ebor . Michaele 
Augustino 



Anthony of Padua 
Who shall tell 
How loved thou wert, on earth 
God and men? 
And shall not now, as then, 
Thy name be on men's lips and in 
their hearts as well? 
— In memory of her beloved hus- 
band, Edward Fox, by his discon- 
solate widow, Lydia. 

Bell of St. Agnes. 

adolescentula I, little Agnes, come 

From far-off Rome; 

There mine the pleasant care 

A chosen snow-white lamb to tend. 

That was one day its fleece to lend 

To make the pallium sootless fair 

For Michael Augustine, 

Your loved Archbishop of New 

York, to wear; 

Of Catholic education champion 

bold, 

And watchful shepherd he 



220 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 



Catholicae . institutionis • adolescen- 

tium 

J vdsertore . propugnatore . vindice 

— In memoriam filii Jacobi Eduardi 

Lydia Fox, mater. 



Of all your children — lambkins of 

his fold- 
To guard their tender youth in 
faith and piety. 
— In memory of James Edward 
Fox by Lydia, his mother. 



Bell of St. John the Evangelist. 



Johannes 

Qui . super • pectus . Domini . Jesu Thou 

Recubuisti 

Investigabiles • divitias • cordis • ejus 

Omnibus • Neo . Eboracensibus 

Omnibus -Americanis 

Volens . lubens 

Resera . pande 

— Ex dono Johannis D. Crim,mins. 



Beloved Apostle John, 
who, upon His breast re- 
clining, 
Didst hear the very heart-throbs of 
the Lord; 
O teach, with sweet, persuasive 
word, 
To all within our city's crowded 

mart, 

Ay, and to all throughout our dear- 
loved land. 
What treasures — all for them at 
their demand — 
His Sacred Heart 
Is longingly enshrining. 
— Gift of John D. Crimmins. 



Me . Brigidam . Hibernam 

Nemo . despiciat 

Coelo . recepta 

Principem . inter • Hibernas • vir- 

gines 

Locum . teneo 

Beati • mundo • corde 

Nil . apud • superos 

Castitate • carius • nil . pulchrius 

— Dederunt Perry J. Miniter et 

Catharina uxor in memoriam dilec- 

tissimae filiae Aloysiae. 



St Bridget's Bell. 

Stint not the 



honor due to Brid- 
get's name, — 
Bridget of Ireland's pure and saint- 
ly fame; 
High throned in heaven, 
To her first place is given 
Of all the virgins of her holy Isle: 
Blessed are the clean of heart with- 
out defile: 
In sight of heaven naught can vie 

With spotless chastity. 
— Gift of Perry J. Miniter and 
Catherine, his wife, in memory of 
their daughter, Aloysia. 



Bell of St. Francis Xavier. 



Sancte • Francisce • Xaveri 

Indiarum . apostole 

Coetus . catolicorum . Neo-Ebora- 

censium 



In Xavier's parish formed, by 

Xavier's name first known, 

And now by Xavier's fostering 

favor grown 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 221 



In . cujus . aedibus . ortum . habuit 

Sub • cujus . tutela • adolevit 

Grandior . factus 

Tuam . coelestem . opem . implorat 

Ut 

Ad • majorem • Dei • et • Eccl • 

Cathol . Gloriam 

Maxima • quaeque • perficiat 

— Elargitionibus Coetus Catholi- 

corufti Neo-Eboracensium. 



Tu.es. Petrus 

Et • supr . banc . petram 

Aedificata . est . ecclesia . Christi 

Adversus • quam 
Portae . inferi • non • praevalebunt 
— Pecunia Georgii B. Coleman 



In years and strength and prosper- 
ous estate, — 
The Catholic Club in nothing shall 

abate 

Its loyalty to thee, its heavenly 

advocate, 

Saint Francis Xavier: 

O be thou yet our patron; pray 

That — day by day — 
With growing power the loftier 

purpose grow 
And zeal like thine, — the burning 

zeal 
That kindled farthest Ind to fervid 

glow, — 
To dare and do what deeds shall 

noblest show 

For God's high glory and His 

Church's weal. 

— Presented by the Catholic Club. 

St Peter's Bell. 

Thou art Peter 

Firm-built on Peter's rock. 

The Church of Christ withstands 

the shock 

Of all the powers of hell that may 

assail : 

They never shall prevail. 

— Gift of George B. Coleman. 



St. Cecilia's Bell. 

Caecilia 

Valerianum . sponsum 

Christo . vero . animarum . sponso . 

adjungens 

Omnibus . Catholicis • conjugibus 

Exemplar . esto 
— Suppetiit nummos uxor Thomae 
F. Ryan. 



Cecilia, 

From unbelief and sin 

Thy spouse Valerian thou didst 

nobly win 

To glorious spousal of his soul to 

Christ the Lord: 

With one accord, 

Let all good spouses see 

A bright exemplar for themselves 

in thee. 

— Presented by Mrs. Thomas F. 

Ryan. 

St. Helena's Bell. 

Helena . imperatrix . sis • benedicta Empress Helena, 

Numinis • afflatu . ducta Forever blest be thou, most favored 

Tu . nobis • crucem one. 



222 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 



In . qua . est • salus • vita • et . re- 

surrectio • nostra 

Thesaurum • prae • omnibus • divitem 

Reddidisti • 

— Sumptibus Eleonorae Keyes. 



Who, by a heavenly inspiration led. 
Didst find for us the cross Christ 

died upon; 
Cross, with the blood of our re- 
demption red — 
Our hope of life when other hope 

was none — 
Pledge of our glorious rising from 

the dead — 
The sign and promise of salvation 
won. 
— Gift of Eleonora Keyes. 



Bell of St. Alphonsus Liguori. 



Alphonsus • Maria • Liguorius 

Doctor • ecclesiae 

Pater . et . legifer . Congregat . a • 

Sanctiss • Redempt . 

Doctrina • ad • sanos . hominum • 

mores • efformandos 

Pietate • in • virginem • matrem 

Amore . in . Christum . Deum 

Sub • eucharisticis • speciebus • ab- 

sconditum 

Ad • exemplum . conspicuus 

— Pia oblatione Marine A. Mills. 



Alphonsus Maria Liguori, 
Doctor of the Church, and founder 

famed 
Of the congregation of the Most 

Holy Redeemer named. 
Whose rule and discipline by thee 

were framed: 
Thy teaching leading men to vir- 
tue's ways, — 
Thy zeal for Mother Mary's 
praise, — 
Thy faith and love that bent un- 
bidden 
In adoration of the God-Man hid- 
den 
'Neath simple eucharistic veil; — 
May these thy virtues as example 
never fail ! 
— Gift of Maria A. Mills. 



Bell of St. Thomas Aquinas. 

Thomas . Aquinas • doctor • Angelicus Thomas Aquinas, Angel of the 



Philosophorum . et • theologorum 

princeps 

A . sapientissimo . Leone . XIII • 

Pont . Max • 

Jure . ac • merito 

Catholicis • omnibus . scholis 

Veritatis • magister • coelestis • 

patronus 

Datus 

Exemplaria • sua 



schools, 
Prince of philosophy and sacred 

lore. 
Where scholars throng or wisdom 

hives her store. 
Where truth is sought or love of 

learning rules, 
Thee, patron of the school, great 

Leo aptly names. 

Thee, master of the truth, his voice 

of truth proclaims. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 223 



Nocturna • diurnaque • manu . ver- O Master, may the simple and the 
sanda sage 

Sapientibus • et • insipientibus Alike well know, 

Praebeat That simple will grow wise and 

— Munere Thomae Kelly. wise will wiser grow, 

Who con with loving care thy lucid 
page. 
— Gift of Thomas Kelly. 



St. Godfrey's Bell. 



Godefridus • episcopus 

Natione • Gallus 

A . puero • usque • ad • vitae • exitum 

Omnium . virtutum 

Popularibus • et • extraneis 

Mirum • exemplar. 

— In carorum parentum Johannis 

et Mariae Koop memoriam, iilii 

■filiaeque Godefridus, Eugenius, Coe- 

lestia, Amelia. 



Godfrey, 
The saintliest graces of the bish- 
op — ^blent 
With all thy native France's patriot 
fire 
And generous chivalry; 
These traits in thee, 
Crowning a life-time in God's ser- 
vice spent. 
Thy countrymen and all the world 
admire. 
— In memory of their beloved par- 
ents, John and Mary Koop, by 
their children, Godfrey, Eugene, 
Celeste, and Amelie. 



The chimes of the Cathedral are played by hand 
through a simple device known as tracker action. The 
operator standing faces nineteen levers covering a 
space of eight feet in a horizontal line. The loose ends 
nearest to the operator sink about a foot when stopped 
by the striking of the clapper against the side of the 
bell and at once rebound upward, drawn by the reced- 
ing clapper and a spring-action. The far ends, four 
and a half feet away, are secured by hinges to a strong 
frame, thus allowing the motion described. Nineteen 
rods made of wood one inch in diameter run straight 
up the tower, and work the clapper of the individual 
bell in much the same fashion as the old house gong. 
The rods are one hundred and ten feet long, made of 
wood for flexibility — wire would break in downward 



224 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

or tangle in upward motion. The connection between 
the lever and rod is made by heavy leather straps that 
can be let out or taken in so as to keep all the levers 
in a straight horizontal line in different conditions of 
weather. The operator's task is no small one — it re- 
quires strength and dexterity to handle this simple, 
practical, yet bulky keyboard. 

The ringing of the Angelus is regulated by an auto- 
matic clock. An Angelus striking machine, installed in 
the north tower, is arranged to strike on a bell of 
thirty- four hundred pounds with a hammer of seventy- 
five pounds. It is released at 8 A.M., 12 M. and 6 
P.M. by a mechanical connection to the tower clock 
mentioned above. The Angelus striker and the auto- 
matic clock were set up by the E. Howard Clock Com- 
pany, N. Y., in 1901. 

THE ORGANS. 

The grand organ is placed in a gallery in the first 
bay of the nave, between the front towers. This gal- 
lery is capable of accommodating a choir of one hun- 
dred singers. It is forty-six feet in width, across the 
building, and twenty-eight feet long; and is supported 
in front by a wrought iron compound girder, three feet 
nine inches in depth, fourteen inches in width, and 
capable of sustaining a weight of one hundred tons. 
The front of the organ gallery is of ash, supported by 
molded and carved brackets of the same material, pro- 
jecting from and attached to the great iron beam. The 
ceiling of the gallery is divided into squares by rich 
moldings of ash, and the squares are filled with two 
inch strips of ash, laid on diagonally. Access to it is 
had by means of a spiral staircase situated in the south 




ALTAR or ST. JOHN THE EVAN G EL- 1 ST . 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 225 

lobby of the Fifth Avenue entrance. The organ was 
built under the direction of Rev. Father McMahon, 
rector of the church of St. John the Evangelist. 

The chancel organ of the Cathedral, built in 1881 
by G. H. and C. S. Odell of New York City, is a two 
manual and pedal (thirty-two notes) instrument of the 
tracker action type. The general scheme, by Very 
Rev. Mgr. A. Lammel, at the time chancel organist 
and choir director of the Cathedral, embodies all the 
requirements of a choir organ, for which purpose it is 
being used exclusively. 

It has twenty stops and three couplers. While de- 
prived of great volume it has a fine quality of tone, 
and for this alone stands well inside the dividing line 
between the old tin horn combinations and the modern 
organ. 

LIGHTING. 

For over ten years the problem of lighting the 
Cathedral by electricity was taken up a number of 
times but the plans submitted invariably left a doubt 
in the minds of those responsible for the results as to 
whether or not the desired illumination would be ob- 
tained and the problem remained unsolved until early 
in 1904. The fire hazard was of vital importance, due 
to the fact that the upper structure was lath and plas- 
ter, but a system was finally installed which eliminated 
all fire risk. 

Steel conduits, coated with a heavy enamel, were 
used throughout and no wire was installed until the 
complete conduit system was in position, the wire being 
all drawn in at one time. There is no part of the sys- 
tem where the wire is not encased in steel, except at 



226 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

the switchboard where the various feeders start. At 
the outlets, steel boxes are used, and at the junction 
points sheet steel cabinets encase the small switch- 
boards. The large marble switchboard in the ambu- 
latory places the entire system at the command of the 
sacristan, and the arrangement is such that economy 
may be practiced in the lighting, or the entire church 
may be brilliantly illuminated. Seven large sunburst 
fixtures in the ceiling of the nave and transept, with a 
total of 1,050 lamps, together with 24 fifty-light fix- 
tures in the side aisles furnish the main and brilliant 
lighting, while fifty bracket fixtures with- a total of 
two hundred and seventy-four lamps serve for pur- 
poses of reading and economic use. 

The sanctuary arch has a concealed lighting system 
separate from the balance of the church ; one hundred 
lamps arranged so as to be controlled in sections, pro- 
vided with reflectors, throw a brilliant light upon the 
main altar. To produce the brilliant illuminating effect 
which has been admired by so many, requires 40,768 
candle power. 

When one realizes what it would mean to place, light, 
extinguish, and care for forty thousand and odd can- 
dles, the progress of the t^ventieth century certainly 
becomes impressive. It required 68,632 feet of cop- 
per cable to distribute the electric current to the light- 
ing points. Every wire can be withdrawn from the 
conduits at any time and be replaced without in any 
way damaging or defacing the structure. 

Total number of 16 candle-power lamps 2,548 

" candle-power 40,768 

" number of feet of cable 68,632 

(Which is equal to 13 miles of cable.) 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 227 

The large gilded wrought coronas in the nave and 
transepts, the chandeliers in the side-aisles, and the 
candelabra on the choir-rail, were designed by Schickel 
& Ditmars. The electric lighting system was installed 
by the Charles L. Eidlitz Co. 

VENTILATION. 

The Cathedral proper is ventilated by the introduc- 
tion of fresh tempered air through registers in the ends 
of the pews. The air displaced by the introduction 
of the fresh air finds exit through openings near the 
ceiling leading to the two towers. The escape of the 
air is controlled by two large doors, operated by pneu- 
matic devices from the Cathedral floor. The fresh air 
introduced into the Cathedral is passed over two large 
tempering coils, each containing 1,600 square feet of 
heating surface, and is heated approximately to room 
temperature before entering the blowers, the tempera- 
ture of the entering air being maintained automatically 
at the desired degree by the Johnson system of heat 
regulation. 

Seventy-five thousand cubic feet of fresh air per 
minute are delivered to the Cathedral proper by two 
Sturtevant steel-plate blowers, each having a blast- 
wheel eight feet in diameter. These blowers are 
coupled together on one shaft, driven by a C. & C. 
Electric Company's direct-connected slow-speed motor, 
provided with speed-regulating devices permitting a 
variation of speed from full speed to two-thirds speed. 
The air delivered from the blowers is led through a 
system of galvanized iron ducts, located underneath the 
floor of the Cathedral connected with the four hundred 
and sixty registers in the ends of the pews. 



228 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

The heating of the Cathedral proper is effected by- 
direct steam radiators and steam coils entirely inde- 
pendent of the ventilating system. The radiators are 
placed near the outside walls and near the entrances, 
and the steam coils above the galleries. The new por- 
tion of the Cathedral, located back of the main altar 
and containing the Lady Chapel, sacristy, etc., is heated 
by warm air in connection with a special ventilating 
system. 

The fresh air supply for the heating and ventilation 
of the Lady Chapel section of the Cathedral is passed 
over a tempering coil containing eight hundred and 
fifty square feet of heating surface, and is warmed to 
substantially room temperature before entering the 
blowers, the temperature of the entering air being 
maintained automatically at the desired degree by the 
Johnson system of heat regulation. 

Sixteen thousand cubic feet of air per minute are 
delivered by a Sturtevant blower, having a blast- 
wheel six feet in diameter. The blower is driven by 
a direct connected slow-speed C. & C. Electric 
Company's motor. From the blower the tempered air 
is led through galvanized iron ducts to the sub-base- 
ment of the Lady Chapel, and there connects with the 
individual rising flues terminating with registers in the 
rooms. Each fresh air supply flue is divided into two 
branches, one branch leading direct to the register and 
the other passing through the heating stack before join- 
ing the vertical flue. Dampers are provided in these 
tempered and warm air connections, operated pneu- 
matically by the thermostats in the rooms, admitting 
alternately either tempered or warm air, as is required 
to maintain the desired temperature in the rooms. 




A UTAF? OF ST. STAMISUA.US K O S T K /^ 



DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 229 

The steam for heating the Cathedral and the Lady 
Chapel and for warming the air supply, as well as for 
supplying steam for heating the Archbishop's and the 
rector's residences, is generated in the central boiler 
plant, located below the ground on the north side of 
the Lady Chapel adjoining the machinery room of the 
main ventilating apparatus. For the purpose of steam 
supply there are installed three horizontal return-tubu- 
lar boilers, each sixty inches in diameter by eighteen 
feet long, each boiler having ninety-six tubes three and 
one-half inches in diameter, and a dome thirty inches 
in diameter by thirty inches high. The boilers are 
constructed of steel and designed for the generation of 
steam at high pressure, but the steam for heating the 
buildings and for warming the air supply is reduced to, 
and circulated at, low pressure, and is returned by 
gravity to the receiving apparatus and thence pumped 
back into the boilers. 

The heating and ventilating apparatus was installed 
by Gillis & Geoghegan under the supervision of Alfred 
R. Wolff, consulting engineer, and Charles T. 
Mathews, architect. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral holds the eleventh place in 
size among the great cathedrals and churches of the 
world. In the following list one square yard of space 
has been allowed for every four persons : 

Cathedrals Capacity Square Yds. 

St. Peter's, at Rome 54,000 13,500 

Milan Cathedral 37,000 9,025 

St. Paul's, at Rome 32,000 8,000 

St. Paul's, London 25,600 6,400 

St. Petronio, Bologna 24,400 6,100 

Florence Cathedral 24,000 6,000 



230 DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CATHEDRAL 

Cathedrals Capacity Square Yds. 

Antwerp Cathedral 24,000 6,000 

St. Sophia, Constantinople. .... .23,000 5,750 

St. John Lateran, Rome 22,900 5,725 

Notre Dame, Paris 21,000 5,250 

St. Patrick's, New York 18,696 4,674 

Pisa Cathedral 13,000 3,250 

St. Stephen's, Vienna 12,400 3,100 

St. Dominic's, Bologna 11,400 2,850 

Cathedral at Vienna 11,000 2,750 

St. Mark's, at Venice 7,000 1,750 



APPENDIX, 



Succession of Prelates in the Archdiocese 
of New York 

The Right Rev. R. Luke Concanen, O.P., D.D., 
first Bishop; consecrated April 24, 1808; died June 19, 
1810. 

The Right Rev. John Connolly, O.P., D.D., second 
Bishop ; consecrated November 6, 1814 ; died February 
6, 1825. 

The Right Rev. John Dubois, D.D., third Bishop; 
consecrated October 29, 1826; died December 20, 1842. 

Most Rev. John Hughes, D.D., fourth Bishop; 
consecrated Titular Bishop of Basileopolis and Coad- 
jutor to the Bishop of New York, January 7, 1838 ; suc- 
ceeded to the See of New York, December 20, 1842: 
consecrated first Archbishop of New York, July 19, 
1850; died January 3, 1864. 

His Eminence John, Cardinal McCloskey, fifth 
Bishop, second Archbishop ; consecrated Titular Bishop 
of Axiere and Coadjutor to the Bishop of New York, 
March 10, 1844; translated to the See of Albany, May 
21, 1847; promoted to this See, May 6, 1864; created 
Cardinal Priest of the Holy Roman Church, March 15, 
1875, under the title of Sancta Maria Supra Minervam ; 
died October 10, 1885. 

Most Rev. Michael Augustine Corrigan, D.D., 
sixth Bishop, third Archbishop ; consecrated Bishop of 
Newark, N. J., May 4, 1873; promoted to the Archi- 



232 APPENDIX 

episcopal See of Petra and made Coadjutor to His 
Eminence Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of New 
York, with the right of succession, October 6, 1880 
succeeded to the See of New York, October 10, 1885 
made assistant at the Pontifical Throne, April 19, 1887 
died May 5, 1902. 

Most Rev. John M. Farley, D.D., seventh Bishop, 
fourth Archbishop; consecrated Titular Bishop of 
Zeugma and Auxiliary Bishop of New York, December 
21, 1895; promoted to this See, September 15, 1902; 
preconized June 22, 1903 ; made assistant at the Pontif- 
ical Throne, December 4, 1904. 



//. 

The Archdiocese of New York in 1908. 

Archbishop 1 

Bishop 1 

Churches 317 

City 138 Country 179 

Chapels 186 

Stations (without churches) regularly visited. .. 33 
Priests 894 

Secular 596 Regular 298 

Theological Seminary (Dunwoodie) 1 

Students 124 Students (Rome) . . 13 

Preparatory Seminary 1 

Students 141 

Colleges and Academies for boys : 

Pupils 3,339 

Academies for girls : 

Pupils 3,736 

Parish Schools, New York City, for boys 80 

Pupils 25,416 

Parish Schools, New York City, for girls 83 

Pupils 28,511 

Parish Schools, outside New York City 48 

Pupils— boys . . .5,221 Pupils— girls 6,004 

Total in parish schools 65,152 

Schools for Deaf-Mutes 3 

Day Nurseries 11 

Emigrant Homes 5 

Homes for the Aged 4 

Hospitals 22 

Industrial and Reform Schools 32 

Orphan Asylums 7 

Asylums for the Blind 2 

Total of young people under Catholic care 90,252 

Population, estimated 1,200,000 



The Architect of the Cathedral. 

James Renwick, Jr., architect of the Cathedral, was 
born in New York City in 1818. He was graduated 
from Columbia College at the age of sixteen, and seems 
to have inherited a taste for engineering from his 
father. His first employment was in the Engineering 
Department of the Croton Aqueduct under Jervis, and 
while there he made the design for the distributing 
reservoir at Forty-second Street, which was completed 
in 1842. Mr. Renwick's knowledge of architecture was 
entirely self -acquired, and he early manifested a fond- 
ness for the Gothic style which was then becoming so 
popular abroad. At that time there was no Gothic 
building in America, and all he had to guide him were 
some books by Britton and Pugin. With this scanty 
preparation, when only twenty-three years of age, he 
designed Grace Episcopal Church, of which he was a 
member. In 1847 he made a Gothic plan for the Smith- 
sonian Institute; but the Board of Regents preferred 
his Romanesque design, which was probably the first 
example of the style in this country. Later, Mr. Ren- 
wick traveled in Europe and became still more im- 
pressed with the beauty of the Gothic. 

About 1853, he drew the first plans of St. Patrick's 
Cathedral. No father ever watched more tenderly over 
a favorite child than did Mr. Renwick over the building 
of the Cathedral. His love of art was enrooted in a 
deeply religious soul. The Cathedral, the grandest 
religious edifice in the United States, is a lasting monu- 
ment to his genius. He died in 1895. 



IV. 

Subscriptions Received in Response to the Circular 

of the Most Reverend Archbishop Hughes 

for New Cathedra! of St. Patrick. 

Subscriptions of $1000. 



Dr. Donatien Binsse. 
Rev. Mr. Brophy. 
John Bryan. 
W. H. Burrows. 
Andrew Carrigan. 
James Cody. 
Charles M. Connolly. 
Convent of Sacred Heart. 
Rev. Michael Curran. 
Daniel Devlin. 
Rev. J. Dillon. 
Rev. Arthur J. Donnelly. 
Terence Donnelly. 
Rev. John Dowling. 
Terence Farley. 
Rev. Thomas Farrell. 
Joseph Fischer. 
Edward Fitzgerald. 
T. James Glover. 
George V. Hecker. 
Henry L. Hoguet 
Most Rev. John Hughes. 
Felix Ingoldsby. 
James Keane. 
Eugene Kelly. 



Mary Kelly. 

Duncan Kennedy. 

Martin Lalor. 

Bryan Laurence. 

Robert W. Lowber. 

Edward Lynch. 

James Lynch. 

Rev. Mr. Lynch. 

Philip Lyons. 

Rev. Michael McAleer. 

V. Rev. Michael McCarron. 

Rev. Wm. McClellan. 

Patrick McCormick. 

Walter McGee. 

John McGrane. 

Rev. James McMahon 

($1,500). 
John McMenomy. 
H. W. T. Mali. 
John Manning. 
Rev. Thomas Mooney. 
Patrick Mulvahil. 
Peter Murray. 
Wm. and Jno. O'Brien. 
Charles O'Connor. 



236 



APPENDIX 



James Olwell ($1,500). 
James A. O'Reilly. 
John H. Power. 
Rev. William Quinn. 
James Renwick, Jr. 
William Rodrigue. 



Rev. I. Schneller. 

Henry Shields. 

Sisters of Mt. St. Vincent. 

Henry F. Spaulding. 

V. Rev. Wm. Starrs, V.G. 

L. S. Suarez. 



Louis J. White. 
Later Subscribers to New Cathedral. 



Michael Adrian. .$100 

Morris Ahearn 100 

Edw. H. AndersonlOO 
J. A. Anderson... 100 

Mrs. Andrews 100 

James Aspell 100 

Richard Baker.... 100 
Mrs. Catherine Bar- 
clay 100 

Geo. G. Barnard.. 500 

Mary Barrill 100 

G. R. Barry 500 

James Barry 100 

J. M. F. Basch....lOO 
Charles Bedford.. .100 

James Beglan 100 

George Bennett. ...100 
Benziger Brothers. .250 
Margaret Bergen . . 1 00 

Jacob Berman 100 

Richard Bigley 100 

L. B. Binsse 500 

P. M. Birgin, (an- 
nually) 100 



M. de Birmingham$100 

B. Blanco 1,500 

Rev. J. Boyce 500 

P. Boyhan ...100 

R. W. Boyer 100 

Thomas Boyle .... 500 
Mrs. Bradley.... 1,000 

E. Brady 100 

Rev. John Breen . . 500 

M. Brennan 500 

Owen ]\L Brennan. 250 
Thomas Brennan., 100 
Rev. E. S. Briody..600 
Mrs. Broderick...l00 
Rev. G. Brophy...400 
Patrick Brophy. ... 100 

John Brosnan 100 

Wm. Brugiers 100 

Patrick Bure 100 

Dr. John Burke... 500 
Michael Burke.... 500 
John Busch Guards 100 

Mrs. Burtsell 100 

Matthew Byrne.. 1,000 



APPENDIX 



2S1 



Wm. J. Byrne $100 

John M. Conway. 100 
Judge Connolly. . . 100 
Cornelius Costello . .100 
Margaret Conway. 100 

John Carroll 100 

James Cassidy 100 

St. Columba's Ros- 
ary Society 100 

Edward Clarke. ... 100 
James Crowley .... 100 
Eleanor Clancy. . . . 500 
James Cummings. .100 

Daniel Carey 100 

Mrs. James Con- 
way 100 

Mrs. Carter 100 

J. Cassin 100 

Church Bldg. Assn. 

Rev. W. Starrs.1,073.85 
Patrick Collins 

Est 1,000 

Charles M. ConnollySOO 
John Cavanagh. ... 100 

James Colwell 100 

Mary Conway 100 

James Conway. . . .200 

C. Carroll 100 

Edward Corrigan. . 100 
Saml. Conlin & SonSOO 
James Campbell. . . 100 

James Clancy 100 

Michael Cotter 100 



John Curry $100 

Children of St. 
Mary's Select 

School 400 

P. Callaghan 250 

J. J. Connolly, M.D.250 

D. L. Coyle 200 

John Clarke 150 

Wm. Cleary 100 

Bernard Clarke. ... 100 

John Cassidy 100 

Hugh Casey 200 

John M. Carroll... .100 

Mr. Crowley 500 

James Caulfield. ... 100 

L. J. Callanan 100 

John Council 100 

John Connolly 100 

Andrew Clark 250 

Thomas Connolly... 100 
James Cunnion .... 100 

Mary Connors 100 

Michael Connolly. .150 
Edward Connolly. .100 
Jeremiah Crowley.. 100 

Michael Cain 100 

Catholic Lady 100 

William S. Caldwell200 

Patrick Collins 100 

Rev. William 

Clowry 1,000 

Rev. L. J. Conron. . 500 
H. B. Cochrane.. 1,000 



238 



APPENDIX 



Rev. F. Caro $300 

Rev. M. Curran. .1,000 

( Second subscription. ) 
L.W.Caldwell.... 500 

J. J. Campion 250 

M. Costigan 500 

L. Carolin 100 

F. Curran 100 

John Cotter 100 

Ann Connor 100 

James Cunningham. 100 
Winifred Cooney...l00 
William T.ColemanlOO 

David Dealy 100 

Michael L. Doyle... 100 
Michael Diamond . . 500 
Daniel Delaney. . ..100 
Miss Mary Duffy.. 100 

Patrick Dixon 250 

James Dunphy 100 

Ann Devitt 100 

M. Donahue 100 

JohnDorgan.. ..100 
George DevHng. . . . 100 

John Donnelly 100 

M. Delaney 300 

M. Donohue 100 

Wm. Dorian 100 

Edward C. Donnelly200 
Mrs. Robert J. Dil- 
lon 150 

John E. Devlin 500 

Patrick Daley 500 



Rev. Mr. Donnelly$100 
(Providence, R. I.) 
Jeremiah Devlin.. 1,000 
Mrs. D. Dugan.. 1,000 
Joseph Dowling. . .500 
B. Duggan, M.D...300 

Patrick Dolan 250 

Peter Dolan 200 

Catherine Daley. . .100 
Michael J. Dunne. 150 

Michael Daly 100 

James Dempsey. . . 100 

John Dunn ..100 

Thomas Devine. . ..500 
Thomas Dougherty. 100 

Rev. P. Egan 500 

Henry Everett 100 

Thomas Farley .... 100 
Thomas Ennis. . .1,000 

John Farley 250 

Mrs. Erwin 100 

Est. of Thos. En- 
nis 1,131.25 

George W. Fggleso.lOO 
Edward Fanning. .350 

James Fee 500 

James R. Floyd... 500 

Philip Farley 500 

John Foley 500 

Senator Fields 100 

Rev. F. Farrelly..500 

Mrs. Fogarty 100 

William Florence . . 1 00 



APPENDIX 



239 



HughFriel $100 

Pierce Fay 100 

Miss Fleming 100 

Ignatius Flynn. . . . 100 

John Frost 100 

John French 100 

Thomas Fitzgerald. 100 
Dennis Flanagan. , 100 

B. Fitzpatrick 100 

Cornelius Farley. ..100 

John Farrell 500 

Margaret and Brid- 
get Flaherty 100 

Rev. Thomas Far- 
rell 300 

Dr. Gibert 500 

F. Grund 500 

Michael and Freder- 
ick Grosz 500 

Andrew Grosz ... 1 ,000 

J. B. Gilden 100 

James Gallagher . . . 200 
John Galvin, M.D..100 

James Griff en 100 

Kate Gerry 100 

David Goggin 100 

Patrick Geraghty. .100 

Michael Grace 100 

William Graham.. 100 

John Gaynor 500 

Michael Goodwin.. 100 

P. Garrick 100 

Mrs. Gebhard 250 



Mrs. C. Gibbons. $100 

Mrs. Gonegal 100 

E. Goodwin 100 

Mrs. M. C. de 

Grund 1,000 

John Gubbin 100 

Anthony Gorman.. .100 
Thomas Galligan. . . 100 
Rhody Gallagher... 100 
Mrs. Ellen Gallag- 
her 100 

Henry Gordon 100 

John Gowan 100 

John and Michael 

Gaffney 100 

James Gallagher. . . 150 

James Hayes 100 

James M. Hunt.. 1,000 

James Hart 500 

L. Huffen 500 

Rev. G. Healey.. 1,000 
John J. Healey.... 500 
John H. Hudson. 1,000 
Rev. J. Hackett's 

Estate 364.25 

Henry F. Hammill.500 

L. E. Hargous 100 

J. Y. Hargous.... 100 
Calixte Harvier .... 200 
William A. Hart... 100 
Patrick Hogan....lOO 

Peter Halpin 100 

William Hennessy. . 100 



240 



APPENDIX 



P. Hatton $100 

Harry Hughes 100 

Myles Hurson 100 

Daniel Hayden 250 

William Hardy.. 1,000 

John Haley 250 

Mrs. T. del Hoyo..lOO 

Edward Hare 100 

John B. Harrison.. 100 
Mrs. G. Hecker....250 
P. A. Hubbard.... 200 

James Heslin 100 

Alice Hartley 100 

John Higgins 100 

James J. Higgins . . .100 

P. Hoey 100 

Michael Hayes.... 100 
James B. Hecker..lOO 

B. Hanan 100 

Michael Halpine ... 500 
Jesuit Fathers of 
St. Francis Xav- 

ier's 500 

Jesuit Fathers of 
St. John's CollegeSOO 

L. Jacques 500 

Morgan Jones 100 

William Joyce 100 

St. John the Evan- 
gelist Ch u r c h , 
Surplus Funds. 2,000 
Rev. J. Kinsella...500 
James Kerrigan. .1,000 



Rev. F. Krebez...$500 
Rev. A. Kesseler...l00 

John Kelly 500 

Martin Kane 100 

Charles Kane 100 

John F. Kennedy. .100 
Michael Kennedy. ..100 

Michael Kane 100 

Thomas Kane 100 

Martin Kavanagh...lOO 
Michael Kerrigan. . 100 

B. Kilduff 100 

P. Kehoe ..250 

James Kelly 100 

Patrick Kane 250 

James Kennedy. . . . 100 

Bridget Kelly 100 

Hugh Kelly 400 

Rev. J. Larkin 400 

Rev. A. Lafort....200 

John Ladin 500 

James Lynch 500 

William Lalor 500 

Rev. J. Lewis 500 

Miss E. Lynch 500 

Patrick Lynch 100 

Michael Lane 100 

John Lynch 100 

Charles Loughlin. 1,000 

H. Lord 100 

James Lynch 500 

James Lynch 100 

Mrs. Ellen Lane.... 100 



APPENDIX 



2A\ 



Sebastian Lanier.. $100 
Thomas Loughr an 1,000 

M.Lee 100 

Mrs. Lamb 100 

Hugh Lackey 100 

Andrew Leary 100 

Daniel McCabe...250 
Henry McCloskey. 100 
John McNamara. .100 
Michael McKeon..500 
Wm. H. McKinlesslOO 
William McCarthy. 100 

John McEnan 100 

John C. McCarthy. 200 

C. Mcllhargy 100 

John McCarthy... 100 

John McCool 100 

William McKennanlOO 

D. McCarthy 100 

William McKenna.lOO 
John McConville. .100 
Mary McKavin. . .170 
Anthony McShane.lOO 
Rev. John McEvoy.500 
Rev. Patrick Mc- 
Carthy 1,000 

Rev. L. McKenna.500 
Rev. M. McKenna.500 
McEvoy Brothers. 500 

P. McBarron 500 

John McBarron ... 500 
Judge John H. Mc- 
Crum 500 



J. McKenna $1,000 

Mrs. P. McLaugh- 
lin 300 

Mary McFadden. .100 
John W. McKinleylOO 

Mrs. McCoy 100 

M. McNulty 100 

James McCoy 100 

Patrick McKeon..lOO 
Mrs. Sarah McGea- 

han 100 

John McHugh 100 

Daniel L. Mc- 

Sweeney 100 

Charles McManus.lOO 
Henry McAleenan . 100 
Nicholas McCool. .100 
Peter McCullough. 100 
James McGraw. ... 100 
Ellen McKenna... 100 

Peter McAleer 100 

L. McGetterick....lOO 

John McDevitt 250 

Charles McGinnesslOO 
Patrick McGuire. .100 
Richard McCormicklOO 
Henry McKevitt. . 100 
James McCartney. 100 

M. McGrath 100 

Bryan McCahill . . . 750 

John Mullaly 100 

Timothy Murphy.. 100 
Mrs. Malby 100 



242 



APPENDIX 



James Moore $500 

Mrs. Mulrine 100 

Mary Moore 100 

Arthur Moore 100 

Mrs. A. Martinez.. 100 
William Mulry....500 
Laurence Mulry . . . 100 
James Mulligan. .1,000 
James Murphy. . . . 100 
Thomas Molloy...l50 

P. M. Murphy 500 

P. Mihan 100 

Daniel Mooney. ...100 
John J. Murphy... 100 
John Morrissey. . .500 
E. and A. Martin.. 100 
Rev. P. N. MaddenSOO 
Rev. Dr. Morrogh.500 
Rev. L. Maguire . . 500 
John Murphy.... 1,000 
L. and A. Martin. .500 
James Murphy. . 1,000 
Daniel Murphy. . 1,000 
Rev. J. J. Maguire.200 
Patrick Mooney. . .500 

James Moore 100 

Mrs. Maitland 200 

Peter Monahan .... 100 
James Maguire. . ..100 
Timothy Maxwell.. 100 

Patrick Martin 100 

John Moss 100 

Peter Mallon 100 



John Morrissey. $1,000 

Owen Murphy 100 

B. Meehan 100 

Mrs. Margaret 

Murphy 200 

Bryan Martin 100 

St. Mary's Rosary 

Society 100 

Jeremiah MorrisseylOO 

James Murtagh 100 

Rodger Monahan.. .100 

Hugh Murray 100 

John B. Manning.. 500 

John Mumford 100 

Michael Murray... 100 
Thomas Muldoon.lOO 
Thomas Muldoon..lOO 

M. Mulgrew 100 

Thomas Maher....500 

A. Mullins 150 

John Mack 500 

Rev. Mr. Moran...lOO 
Rev. Mark MurphylOO 

Rev. AI. Nicot 500 

Rev. J. Nobriga...600 

A. Noel 250 

Messrs. O'Neill & 

O'Keefe 100 

Joseph F. Navarro.500 

James Norris 100 

James B. Nichol- 
son 100 

Thomas A. Nugent. 100 



APPENDIX 



243 



Rev. Mr. Nilan...$100 

L. O'Neill 100 

James O'Meara. . .100 
Joseph O'Connor.. .100 
Thomas J. O'Brien. 100 
Signor de Oviedo..500 

J. O'Kane 100 

Francis O'Keefe.. .100 
William B. O'Con- 
nor 100 

Patrick O'Connor. 100 
Michael O'Brien.. .100 
Thomas O'Brien.. 100 
Richard O'Gorman.250 
Timothy O'Donog- 

hue 100 

Rev. D. O'Connor. 500 
Rev. J. Ossenigo . . . 500 
Peter O'Connor. . .250 
James O'Neill. ...1,000 
R. J. O'Sullivan...l00 
William O'Connor..500 
Hannah O'Brien. ..500 

F. O'Byrne 100 

Timothy O'Donog- 

hue 100 

John Owens 100 

Alderman O'Brien.. 100 

Mrs. O'Shea 100 

Charles O'Neill .... 100 

H. O'Reilly 100 

D. O'Connor 100 

Stephen Philbin.... 250 



Rev. A. Pfeiffer..$100 
Rev. Thomas S. 

Preston 1,000 

John Purcell 500 

Michael Peppard. . . 100 

George Pieri 100 

Robert Pardow 100 

Paulist Fathers.. 1,000 
Rev. Dr. Parsons.. 500 
Mrs. Louisa Par- 
sons 100 

Daniel Power 100 

St. Peter's Temper- 
ance Society .... 500 
Power Brothers. ..100 
Mrs. Royal Phelps. 100 

Mrs. Phelan 100 

Maria Quinn 100 

Dennis Quinn 250 

Jeremiah Quinlan..500 
Mrs. Jeremiah 

Quinlan 500 

Daniel Quinn 250 

James Reid 1,000 

Redemptorist Fa- 
thers 1,000 

John A. Riston 500 

Edward Rowe 500 

Elizabeth RedmondlOO 

John Rooney 100 

Bernard Reilly 100 

Francis Reynolds... 100 
James Redmond . . . 200 



244 



APPENDIX 



Michael Ryan.... $100 
Elizabeth Roach.. .100 

R. W. Roby 300 

Mrs. de Ruyten...lOO 

Peter Rice 1,000 

John Riston 500 

Rev. John Shana- 

han 500 

Messrs. Sadlier 500 

Rev. M. D. Scully.. 300 
Edward Scully. . ..100 
Daniel Sweeny .... 500 

J. J. Slevin 500 

A. Storris 100 

James Smith 100 

Mrs. Peter Smith. 1,000 

Allen Steel 100 

John Sullivan 250 

Edward Sherlock . . 100 
Patrick Sheahan . . . 100 

John Swanton 100 

John Swanton 100 

Patrick Scanlon.. . . 100 

John J. Staff 500 

Margaret M. Slat- 

tery 100 

Mrs. Spellman 100 

Joseph Smith 100 

J. Treacy 1,000 

J. Thebaud, M.D...200 

John M.Tobin... 1,000 

Christian 



Patrick Tierney.. .$100 
James P. Travers . . 100 
Mrs. Elizabeth 

Tinkham 100 

Mrs. L.Thompson. 100 
Patrick Treacy. . . .250 
Patrick Thorpe .... 100 

James Twomey 100 

Rev. Thomas Trea- 

nor 500 

Mrs. F. Wood 100 

Owen Ward 100 

Miss Jo s e p h i n e 

Ward 500 

Mrs. Ward 100 

Jacob Wendecker.. . 100 

James Wallace 500 

Nicholas Walsh.... 500 
Rev. M. Ward's 

Estate 639.78 

I Cousins. 

Bernard Williams. . 500 

James Whalen 100 

Martin Walsh 100 

John Whelan 100 

J. R. Whelan 100 

Thomas Ward 100 

Bernard Ward 100 

Michael Walsh 100 

Edward T. Young. .250 
Ziegler...lOO 



The High=Altar in the Cathedral.— Gift of the 
Clergy of the Archdiocese of New York. 

This altar, consecrated May 24, 1879, by the Right 
Rev. John J. Conroy, Bishop of Curium, is the offering 
of His Eminence, John Cardinal McCloskey, the Very 
Rev. William Quinn, V. G., the Very Rev. Thomas S. 
Preston, V.G., the Rev. John M. Farley, Secretary, and 
the Revs. 



William Boddy, 
Patrick Brady, 
Henry A. Brann, 
Edward S. Briody, 
Richard L. Burtsell, 
Edward J. Byrnes, 
Joseph Byron, 
Michael Callaghan, 
Joseph Campbell, 
William L. Clowry, 
Charles H. Colton, 
John T. Colton, 
James L. Conron, 
Edward J. Conroy, 
Daniel J. Corkery, 
Charles R. Corley, 
William P. Costigan, 
Henry Coyle, 
Daniel J. Cronin, 
James F. Curran, 
Michael Curran, 



Ignatius M. Delveaux, 
Matthew J. Doherty, 
Arthur J. Donnelly, 
Cornelius T. Donovan, 
James Dougherty, 
John Doyle, 
Thomas J. Ducey, 
John J. Duffy, 
Edward J. Dunphy, 
Thomas J. Dunphy, 
William A. Dunphy, 
Terence E. Earley, 
John Edwards, 
Patrick Egan, 
William Everett, 
James Farrell, 
Felix H. Farrelly, 
John Fitzharris, 
Thomas Fitzpatrick, 
James Fitzsimmons, 
Hugh Flattery, 



246 



APPENDIX 



James J. Flood, 
Edward J. Flynn, 
William J. Foy, 
Bartholomew Galligan, 
James M. Galligan, 
Patrick Gleason, 
Bernard A. O'Connor, 
Henry J. Gordon, 
John M. Grady, 
Charles P. Grannan, 
James Hassen, 
James W. Hayes, 
Patrick J. Healey, 
John C. Henry, 
William J. Hogan, 
William H. Hoyt, 
Nicholas J. Hughes, 
John J. Kean, 
John F. Kearney, 
Terence F. Kelley, 
John J. Keogan, 
Anthony Kesseler, 
Felician Krebes, 
Anthony Lammel, 
John Larkin, 
John Lewis, 
Albert A. Lings, 
Patrick Loughran, 
Thomas F. Lynch, 
Michael Mc Allen, 
Thomas A. McCabe, 
Patrick McCarthy, 
John J. McCauley, 



John P. McClancy, 
William J. McClure, 
Patrick McCort, 
John McEvoy, 
Michael B. McEvoy, 
James H. McGean, 
Edward McGlynn, 
Patrick McGovern, 
Edward McKenna, 
Eugene McKenna, 
James McMahon, 
John McNamee, 
John McQuirk, 
Charles McCready, 
Edward McSweeney, 
Patrick F. McSweeney, 
Henry C. Macdowall, 
Eugene Maguire, 
Patrick Maguire, 
Patrick Mahoney, 
Patrick V. Malone, 
James F. Mee, 
Isidore Meister, 
Anthony Molloy, 
Joseph F. Mooney, 
James J. Mooney, 
Stephen J. Nagle, 
Michael W. Newman, 
Matthew Nicot, 
James Nilan, 
Michael A. Nolan, 
David O'Connor, 
Michael C. O'Farrell, 



APPENDIX 



247 



Michael J. OTarrell, 
Denis P. O'Flynn, 
Charles M. O'Keeffe, 
William J. O'Kelly, 
Andrew O'Reilly, 
Edward J. O'Reilly, 
Charles F. Payten, 
William L. Penny, 
Michael J. Phelan, 
William C. Poole, 
Michael Power, 
Edward Prat, 



James Quinn, 
John Quinn, 
Patrick S. Rigney, 
John J. Riordan, 
John B. Salter, 
Francis J. Shadier, 
Charles T. Slevin, 
Eugene Smyth, 
John L. Spalding, 
Patrick W. Tandy, 
Adam Tonner, 
William J. Ward, 



Patrick J. Prendergast, 

Capuchin Fathers, Church of St. John the Baptist, 
Capuchin Fathers, Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, 
Dominican Fathers, Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, 
Franciscan Fathers, Church of St. Anthony, 
Franciscan Fathers, Church of St. Francis of Assisi, 
Jesuit Fathers of St. John's College, Fordham, 
Jesuit Fathers, Church of St. Francis Xavier, 
Jesuit Fathers, Church of St. Lawrence, 
Redemptorist Fathers, Church of the Most Holy Re- 
deemer and St. Alphonsus, 
Fathers of Mercy of St. Vincent de Paul. 



VI. 

The Subscribers for the Stained Glass Windows in 
the New St. Patrick's Cathedral. 

Right Rev. E. P. Wadhams, D.D., Bishop of 

Ogdensburg $1,200 

(Window, The Martyrdom of St. Law- 
rence.) 
Joseph Fischer, New York. In memory of his 
uncle, William Murtha, of Philadelphia. 

To be inscribed "W. M." 1,000 

(Window, Jesus Meeting the Disciples 
going to Emmaus.) 
Right Rev. M. A. Corrigan, D.D., Bishop of 

Newark 1,000 

(Window of the Immaculate Conception.) 

Miss Ann Eliza McLaughlin 1,000 

(Window, The Resurrection of Lazarus.) 
Right Rev. Bernard McQuaid, D.D., Bishop of 

Rochester 2,200 

(For Window, $1,200. Balance for Cathe- 
dral. Window, St. Bernard.) 
Right Rev. Stephen V. Ryan, D.D., Bishop of 

Buffalo 1,000 

(Window, Gift of the Diocese of Buffalo 
through Bishop Ryan — The Resurrec- 
tion of Our Lord.) 

John Laden, New York 500 

(Window, The Sacrifice of Calvary.) 



APPENDIX 249 

Brother Paulian, Manhattan College of the 

Christian Brothers $1,000 

(Window, Brothers of the Christian 
Schools.) 
Messrs. William and John O'Brien, New 

York 1,000 

(Window, The Annunciation.) 
Lorenzo Delmonico, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Charles Borromeo.) 
James Olwell, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Vincent de Paul.) 
Bernard Maguire, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Mark.) 
Dennis J. Dwyer, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Luke.) 
William Joyce, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. John.) 
Andrew Clarke, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Matthew.) 
Mrs. Julia Coleman, New York . 1,000 

(Window, Madonna and Child.) 
J/ mes McKenna, New York 1,000 

(Window, The Three Baptisms.) 
Miss Mary Caldwell, New York 1,000 

(Window, in memory of her First Commun- 
ion — The Communion of St. John.) 
Miss Lena Caldwell, New York 1,000 

(Window, in memory of her parents — St. 
Augustine and St. Monica.) 
Thomas H. O'Connor and Wife, New York. . 1,000 

(Window, The Adoration of the Child 
Jesus.) 



250 APPENDIX 

Messrs. Jeremiah and William Devlin, New 

York $1,000 

(Window, in memory of Daniel Devlin — 
St. Columbanus.) 

John Kelly, New York 1,000 

(Window, Presentation of the Blessed Vir- 
gin.) 

Eugene Kelly, New York 1,000 

(Window, in memory of Rev. John Kelly — 
St. Paul.) 

Mrs. Eleanor Iselin, New York 1,000 

(Window, The Sacred Heart.) 

Henry L. Hoguet, New York 500 

(Window, St. Louis, King of France.) 

Mrs. Agnes Maitland, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Agnes.) 
J. A. and Elizabeth O'Reilly, New York. . . . 1,000 
(Window, St. Elizabeth, St. Andrew, and 
St. Catherine.) 

Dr. Henry James Anderson, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Henry.) 
Right Rev. John Loughlin, D.D., Bishop of 

Brooklyn 1,000 

(Window, gift of the Diocese of Brook- 
lyn — The Giving of the Keys to St. 
Peter.) 
Messrs. Charles and John Johnston, New 

York 1,000 

(Window, The Sacrifice of Abel.) 

Daniel Murphy, of San Francisco 1,000 

(Window, The Sacrifice of Abraham.) 

James Renwick, New York 1,000 

(Window, St. Patrick.) 



APPENDIX 251 

Diocese of the City of Albany $11,500 

(Chancel Window, The Blessed Virgin.) 
St. Patrick's Church, City of New York, (Old 

Cathedral) 11,500 

(Chancel Window, St. Patrick.) 
Joseph F. Loubat : 

Window, in memory of Joseph Alphonse 

Loubat — St. Alphonsus Liguori. 
Window, in memory of Theresa Aimee 
Loubat, Countess of Comminges Gui- 
taut — St. Theresa. 
Window, St. Susannah, given by Susan 

Elizabeth Loubat. 
Window, Death of St. Joseph. 
Windows without Donors: 
The Sacrifice of Noe. 
The Sacrifice of Melchisedech. 
The Eating of the Paschal Lamb. 



VII. 
Church Assessments for 



Assessed 

Church a Year 

St. Patrick's (Old Cathedral) . $5,000 

St. Mary's 5,000 

St. Stephen's 5,000 

St. John the Evangelist's 5,000 

St. Peter's 5,000 

St. Francis Xavier's 4,000 

St. Brigid's 4,000 

St. Teresa's 4,000 

St. James' 4,000 

St. Joseph's (Sixth Avenue). 4,000 
Immaculate Conception, 

(East Fourteenth Street) . . 4,000 

St. Andrew's 3,000 

Transfiguration 3,000 

St. Gabriel's 3,000 

Nativity 3,000 

Holy Redeemer 3,000 

St. Columba's 3,000 

St. Michael's 3,000 

Holy Cross 3,000 

St. Ann's 2,000 

St. Vincent de Paul . 2,000 

Holy Innocents 2,000 

St. Paul the Apostle 2,000 

St. Lawrence's 2,000 

Harlem (St. Paul's) 2,000 

St. Alphonsus' 2,000 

St. Anthony's 2,000 

St. Francis of Assisi 2,000 

Rondout (St. Mary's) 2,000 

Annunciation 1,500 

Newburg (St. Patrick's) 1,500 

St. Nicholas 1,000 

St. John the Baptist 1,000 

St. Boniface 1,000 

Morrisania (St. Augustine's) 1,000 

New Brighton (St. Peter's) . . 1,000 

Poughkeepsie (St. Peter's) . . 1,000 
Yonkers (Immaculate 

Conception) 1,000 

Clifton , 1,000 

St. Vincent Ferrer's 1,000 

Haverstraw 650 

New Rochelle 650 

Port Chester 650 

Port Jervis 650 

Westchester 650 

Our Lady of Sorrows 650 

Assumption 400 

Channingsville 400 

Cold Spring 400 

Croton Falls 400 



Paid, 






1867-68 


1869 


1870 


$6,006.09 


$5,608.00 


$4,137.00 


3,399.00 


3,831.50 


2,670.00 


5,000.00 


5,000.00 


5,000.00 


5,020.00 


5,156.36 


5,371.35 


6,500.00 


5,500.00 


4,500.00 


4,000.00 


4,000.00 


4,000.00 


4,000.00 


3,000.00 


4,000.00 


3,000.00 




3,000.00 


2,800.00 


2,6ii.58 


1,000.00 


4,000.00 


2,000.00 


2,000.00 


1,820.00 


3,388.64 


2,611.46 


3,000.00 


3,000.00 


6,000.00 




1,000.00 


1,291.75 


3,662.66 


3,000.00 


3,000.00 


3,279.00 


3,009.00 


3,164.36 


3,000.00 


1,500.00 


1,602.70 


560.00 


2,008.00 


1,982.00 


3,000.00 


5,000.00 


2,200.00 


3,187.00 


1,243.00 


1,781.00 


848.79 


904.90 


320.26 


2,000.00 


2,000.00 


2,000.00 


1,200.00 


1,526.00 


1,100.00 


1,500.00 


896.75 


750.00 


800.00 


1,300.00 


1,285.75 


1,222.00 





1,000.00 


1,100.00 


925.50 


452.43 


500.00 


300.00 


425.00 


1,500.00 







1,500.00 


1,666.66 


1,291.79 


1,000.01 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,360.00 





1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


779.00 


787.20 


536.76 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


750.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 


500.00 


500.00 
1,000.00 


656.66 


96.66 




300.00 




300.00 




150.00 


100.00 


656'.66 


466!66 


257'.66 
250.00 


600.00 


213.50 


400.00 


500.00 


100.00 


350.00 


400.00 


375.00 


300.00 


150.00 







VIL 
the New Cathedral, 1867=1876. 

1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 



M,780.75 


$5,079.25 


$4,395.00 


$2,500.00 


$1,004.00 


$1,000.00 


1,700.00 


3,000.00 


2,000.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 


1,000.00 


5,000.00 


5,000.00 


5,000.00 


1,500.00 





1,500.00 




650.16 




1,500.00 


1,500.00 




4,500.00 


5,500.00 


3,566.66 


1,500.00 


1,500.00 


1,566.66 


4,000.00 


4,895.93 


3,534.71 


569.36 


1,262.50 


737.50 


3,000.00 


3,000.00 


3,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


3,000.00 


3,000.00 


3,000.00 


500.00 






1,000.00 


3,010.00 


4,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,666.66 


1,666.66 


2,000.00 


2,000.00 


1,500.00 


1,500.00 


500.00 


500.00 


3,000.00 




1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 




3,666.66 


4,000.00 




1,000.00 


1,000.00 


321.21 





500.00 


566.66 


500.00 


500.00 


3,000.00 


3,000.00 


1,500.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,853.03 


2,004.61 


1,890.00 


1,088.00 


1,020.00 


692.00 


1,397.30 


1,601.60 


1,206.00 


719.08 


416.84 


505.61 


1,900.00 


2,108.00 


1,600.00 


600.00 


120.00 


400.00 


2,300.00 


3,200.00 


1,900.00 


900.00 


1,000.00 





500.00 


500.00 


300.00 


200.00 


500.00 


500.00 


1,811.50 


1,977.40 


2,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


501.30 


545.58 


496.20 


500.00 


500.00 




1,500.00 


1,500.00 





1,000.00 








3,000.00 




1,000.00 


1,666.66 




1,666.66 


1,000.00 


1,266.66 


500.00 


200.00 


566.66 


500.00 


1,000.00 


700.00 


500.00 


750.00 


250.00 




1,100.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 


500.00 


500.00 


550.00 


100.00 


900.00 


500.00 




500.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 


500.00 


475.00 


410.00 




200.00 
188.82 


500.00 
141.69 


500.00 




700.00 


1,666.66 


250.00 


500.00 


151.59 


100.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 


500.00 
100.00 


500.00 
100.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 


256.66 


500.00 


100.00 


100.00 


340.00 


224.90 


158.00 


50.00 


100.00 




1,250.00 






250.00 




100.00 


1,000.00 


524.86 


500.00 


1,225.14 


250.00 


250.00 


1,000.00 


500.00 




250.00 






500.00 


750.00 




250.00 


250.66 




1,000.00 


900.00 


500.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


1,000.00 


60.00 




200.00 


250.00 


250.00 


100.00 


200.00 


300.00 











216.00 


250.00 


230.00 


125.00 


265.85 


100.00 


i66!66 


i65."75 





i66166 


i66'.66 


'56^66 






500.00 




250.00 


250.00 


400.00 


400.00 




100.00 


100.00 




195.00 


305.00 


km.m 


250.00 


250.00 


250.00 








50.00 


50.00 


50.00 


•30.00 




50.00 


50.00 


25.00 





254 



APPENDIX 



Church a Year 

Dobb's Ferry $400 

EUenville 400 

Matteawan 400 

Our Lady of Mercy 400 

Goshen 400 

Melrose 400 

Verplanck's Point 400 

Piermont 400 

Rosendale 400 

Rossville 400 

Sing Sing 400 

Tarrjrtown 400 

St. Joseph's 
(One Hundred and Twenty- 
fifth Street) 250 

Middletown 250 

Rhineclifi 250 

Saugerties 250 

Teffersonville 150 

Foughkeepsie (Nativity) ISO 

Obernburgh 150 

Rondout (St. Peter's) 150 

Peekskill 150 



Paid, 
1867-68 
$400.00 
200.00 
203.00 
550.00 



1869 
$400.00 



300.00 

466!66 

400.00 
339.10 
446.00 
400.00 



300.00 
100.00 
134.00 
415.00 



70.00 
145.00 



73.50 
350.00 

ioo'.oo 

40.16 
100.00 
200.00 
250.00 

36.00 
400.00 



250.00 
325!66 



60.00 
125.00 
100.00 



1870 

$400.00 
100.00 

36o'.66 

150.00 
500.00 

l2h'A2 
250.00 
250.00 
397.00 
400.00 



250.00 
166.00 

27S!66 

*i6."66 

60.00 

30.00 

100.00 



1871 1872 
$400.00 $400.00 



APPENDIX 




255 


1873 


1874 


1875 


1876 


$400.00 


$250.00 


$250.00 


$250.00 


200.00 
300.00 
200.00 


50.00 

100.00 

50.00 


50.00 

100.00 

50.00 


50.00 

100.00 
50.00 



120.00 

37.97 '.'.'.'.'.'. "iZ.ST, "sb'.bo 



200.00 100.00 

300.00 200.00 

200.00 

300.00 300.00 150.00 50.00 

15.00 

61.00 100.00 

200.00 264.00 100.00 

300.00 251.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 

50.00 70.00 150.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 

400.00 400.00 



520.00 250.00 250.00 100.00 50.00 

100.00 100.00 100.00 

65.60 



250.00 250.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 



VIII. 
Archbishop Hughes to Trustees. 

New York, :\Iay 10, 1857. 
To THE Trustees of St. Patrick''s Cathedral. 
Gentlemen: — 

Your secretary communicated to me in a brief note, 
dated 6th inst., the substance of a resolution, unani- 
mously adopted, increasing the amount set apart for the 
decent maintenance of the Archbishop. 

This was altogether unexpected and unanticipated on 
my part. I knew always that there was nothing rea- 
sonable which I might desire that you would not have 
acceded to. But as I have never felt even the approach 
of want — as I had never contracted personal debts of 
any kind, and had found myself always provided with 
the means necessary for the support of my official 
dignity in a high proportion, as compared with the gen- 
eral condition of our Catholics in their various strug- 
gles to promote religion, I must say that your proceed- 
ing in this matter has taken me by surprise. 

I remember well that in days of deeper struggle, 
your predecessors generously offered for my support a 
larger amount than, in the circumstance of the times, 
either my judgment or my conscience would allow me 
to accept. Almighty God, in His great and kind prov- 
idence, has at length enabled us to look upon the dif- 
ficulties of those times as past and not present. 

I accept therefore willingly the additional appropria- 
tion which you have made. The manner in which it 
has been made is more gratifying to me by far than 
the increase of means which it has placed at my dis- 



APPENDIX 257 

posal. Among the laity of this Diocese, you know that 
you have always enjoyed my special confidence — that I 
have said to you, on every occasion as it arose, things 
which it would not have been proper perhaps to confide 
to any other laymen. You and your predecessors have 
always been just and true and loyal to me. We have 
struggled together hand in hand, through a period of, I 
may say now, twenty years. Within that time, much 
has been accomplished; although much, perhaps, more 
yet, still remains to be done. But in looking back it 
is to me a source of unspeakable gratitude and personal 
gratification that there has never been the slightest 
alienation between us on either side. You have at all 
times exhibited that true discretion which becomes truly 
Catholic men, placed in a position of great and delicate 
responsibility. You have never thwarted the reason- 
able views as regards temporal matters of the prelate 
placed over you. And were I to die to-morrow, I think 
you would all be prepared to say with a good conscience 
that during my administration I have never lorded it 
over you or any portion of my flock. I do not disguise 
to myself that on more than one occasion during the 
long period of years I have thought myself obliged to 
act in certain contingencies in a prompt, decided, per- 
emptory, and perhaps apparently harsh manner, toward 
other portions of the flock committed to my care. But 
let it be said and put on record to your honor and to 
that of your predecessors, that at the hands of the 
trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral, I never had an oc- 
casion or even a pretext for exhibiting or exercising the 
strength of a will which duty may sometimes call into 
requisition and of the possession of which in my own 
case I am fully conscious. 



258 APPENDIX 

You know, and will always bear testimony that I 
have uniformly given way to your better judgment in 
a thousand matters appertaining to the temporal inter- 
ests of the Church which you are appointed to promote. 
You know that in our deliberations I have never at- 
tempted to carry anything by the force of my position 
as Bishop or Archbishop. On the other hand I can at- 
test that you have ever yielded your own opinions in 
matters in which, on reflection, you had reason to per- 
ceive that I, being charged with the spiritual interests 
of the whole Diocese, had taken a position which rec- 
ommended itself to your approval. You know that 
we have been blamed right and left at various times, 
and that instead of shrinking from bearing my portion 
of the censure, I was ready to accept it all, feeling 
that I could bear it alone better than you taken all 
together. The Almighty has spared us all long enough 
to see that our people are now grateful for some of the 
things which at first they so inconsiderately condemned. 
This, gentlemen, though not much by itself, should 
be an encouragement to you to persevere in the other- 
wise thankless task of giving your best co-operation to 
the prelate who is now, or who may be hereafter ap- 
pointed to govern the Church of New York. There 
was a time when the trustees of the Catholic churches 
in this city were surrounded with a species of distinctive 
and dangerous popularity. That time is gone, it has 
been gone for years, and I know that it is to promote 
the glory of God, the welfare of your Catholic brethren, 
the peace and harmony of our great and growing, I had 
almost said Catholic, city, that you have made so many 
sacrifices of your time, of your repose, and that you 



APPENDIX 259 

have toiled on so faithfully in aiding to carry out the 
great work in which we are all engaged. 

An expression of this kind has hardly ever escaped 
my lips in your regard, but the sentiment has always 
been in my heart. 

In conclusion, I would say to you to persevere, reck- 
less of any human popularity, but with the view to 
please God and to contribute to the promotion of His 
glory on the earth. The feeling which has prompted 
you to pass the resolution alluded to in the commence- 
ment of this communication is the most gratifying in- 
cident of my episcopal administration — much more than 
any amount which could be set apart for my mainten- 
ance. In the retrospect of many years, it is additionally 
gratifying that I have never witnessed the slightest 
evidence of unkindness or of disrespect. And if I have 
been at any time wanting in corresponding feelings 
toward you it has entirely escaped my memory. But 
whether or not, I know that it was impossible for me to 
have intended it. I have the honor to remain, 
Gentlemen, 

With great respect, 

Your most obedient servant, and father in Christ, 
►f" John, 

Archbishop of New York. 

P.S. — I would wish this letter to be enrolled on your 
minutes, so that future generations may see how it was 
between the clergy and the laity of the Metropolitan 
See of New York in the year 1857. It may prove to 
them a lesson of edification. 

■f- J., Archbishop. 



IX. 



Trustees of St. Patrick's Cathedral, 
1817=1908. 



Thomas Stoughton, 
iVndrew Morris, 
Benjamin Disaubry, 
Michael Bannan, 
David Atkinson, 
James R. ^Mullany, 
Thomas Glover, 
Anthony Duff, 
Joseph Idley, 
Dennis Doyle, 
Peter Harmony, 
John Heffernan, 
Joseph Lametti, 
Denis McCarthy, 
Garrett Byrne, 
Edward P. Brady, 
Francis Cooper, 
John G. Gettsberger, 
Robert Fox, 
Hugh Sweeny, 
Thomas Mooney, 
William Clancy, 
Henry Egglesoe, 
Bernard O'Connor, 
Cornelius Heeney, 
James Matthews, 
George Jacobs, 



Darby Noon, 
George Bowen, 
John Murray, 
George Pardon, 
John Doyle, 
Charles McCormick, 
Samuel H. Smith, 
John S. Timmins, 
John Ridden, 
Denis Scally, 
Peter Duffy, 
B. Lamont, 
James Shea, 
William ^lacXeven, 
Bernard Dunn, 
Tighe Davey, 
Charles F. Grim, 
William Foley, 
John :\IcNulty, 
Peter McLoughlin, 
Hugh Kelly, 
William Flynn, 
Daniel Geary, 
Peter Smith, 
Thomas Ryan, 
Andrew Carrigan, 
Edward Murrav, 



APPENDIX 



261 



William O'Connor, 
Nicholas Moran, 
Charles O'Connor, 
James A. O'Reilly, 
Daniel Major, 
John McMenomy, 
Terence Duffy, 
John Mullen, 
Peter O'Connor, 
William O'Reilly, 
Nicholas Kane, 
Peter A. Hargous, 
Terence Donnelly, 
John A. Timmins, 
James A. O'Reilly, 
Peter Duffy, 
James Fagan, 
John K. Bowen, 
John McCahill, 
John Darby, 
Edward Mullen, 
Daniel O'Connor, 
Dines Carolin, 
Nicholas S. Donnelly, 
Michael Burke, 
James Leary, 
Bartholomew O'Connor, 
Michael J. O'Donnell, 
Bartlett Smith, 
Francis A. Kipp, 
Patrick Dolan, 
George Hecker, 
Louis Binsse, 



Henry L. Hoguet, 
Walter Magee, 
John Madden, 
Charles Kane, 
Donatien Binsse, 
William O'Brien, 
Patrick McCormick, 
Michael J. O'Donnell, 
James O'Brien, 
Robert J. Dillon, 
James Lynch, 
Joseph P. Quinn, 
Patrick Trainor, 
James O'Rourke, M.D., 
Edward McCoy, 
John McKeon, 
James Scott, 
John W. McKinley, 
Matthew J. O'Connell, 
Patrick Hagan, 
John Kelly, 
Patrick Lynch, 
John Hagan, 
Edward Fanning, 
Michael O'Keeffe, 
Timothy O'Donoghoe, 
John Hayes, 
Michael Hogan, M.D., 
John Haggerty, 
Hugh Moore, 
Andrew Martin, 
Leopold de Grand Val, 
George B. Coleman, 



262 



APPENDIX 



James Murphy, 
William Lummis, 
John Johnston, 
Jeremiah Devlin, 
Edward Flanagan, 
James Lynch, 
J. Rhinelander Dillon, 
Eugene Kelly, 
John D. Crimmins, 
John B. Manning, 
Francis O'Neill, 
Joseph J. O'Donohue, 
Adrian Iselin, Jr., 
Patrick C. Meehan, 
James S. Coleman, 
Joseph J. O'Donohue, Jr. 
William R. Grace, 
James D. Lynch, 
John McAnerney, 
Thomas H. Kelly, 
Joseph Dillon, 
Henry Amy, 

Eugene 



Morgan J. O'Brien, 
Myles Tierney, 
Hugh Kelly, 
John G. Agar, 
Frederick R. Coudert, 
Edward L. Keyes, M.D., 
John Hayes, 
Cornelius O'Reilly, 
John A. Sullivan, 
Thomas L. Feitner, 
Thomas J. Keveney, 
John A. McCreery, M.D., 
James Devlin, 
Hon. Hugh J. Grant, 
Stephen J. Geoghegan, 
James Ross Curran, 
John F. O'Rourke, 
John Fox, 
James A. Farley, 
William F. Sheehan, 
Thomas F. Ryan, 
Louis H. Amy, 
A. Philbin. 



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JUN 4 t90d 



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